


The Bewitching of Garcia Flynn

by kissedbydragonfire



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friendship/Love, Mutual Pining, garcy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-06-06 14:39:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15196946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissedbydragonfire/pseuds/kissedbydragonfire
Summary: Alternate Universe fic where Garcia Flynn meets the woman of his dreams, but she's already with someone else.This will eventually turn into a Garcy fic.





	1. The Night The Spell Was Cast

**Author's Note:**

> My first go at Timeless fan fic. Hope you enjoy as I can't get enough of Garcy right now. Feedback, prompts and ideas are welcome. Feel free to send me a message on Tumblr (@kissedbydragonfire).

           

            When Garcia Flynn pulled into the parking lot of his apartment building, he was already starting to feel the jet lag.  He had just finished a six month stint for the NSA, traipsing all over Eastern Europe tracking potential terrorist networks.  He was glad to be back in the States, though it’s not as if San Francisco was home.  It was home for now.  A temporary stopover for the never-ending traveler.  Sometimes he literally felt like a gypsy, a vagabond, a wanderer.  A soul adrift in the deep, dark, endless sea of chaos bereft of direction. A man who had a network of contacts, assets and handlers, but few friends and no family.  The perfect kind of individual for the intelligence community.  Sure, there were people who had families or significant others, but they tended to be analysts, techs or higher ups with bureaucratic responsibilities.  Active agents tended to be childless and single, although a few lucky ones found someone willing to share their lives with state secrets. He didn’t envy them.  That was a balancing act he did not think he could ever pull off.  If their families knew what these agents had to do in the name of national security, they might not recognize the person that they were married to. He had been stationed here for a year, yet could count the number of weeks he actually spent in the city on one hand.  Which is precisely why he never bothered to get his own place. 

            He got out of his car, pulling his duffle bag over his shoulder and made his way along the paved path towards the apartments. He could barely feel his feet on the pavement as he weaved his way around the first building of the complex.  Housing in San Francisco that a federal agent could afford was scarce to say the least.  It didn’t matter too much to him and luxury was a subjective premise anyway.  He truly only needed a bed, bathroom, kitchen and a small living room.  The apartments were duplexes, with private entrances to both the first and second floor units.  He shuffled up the steps to the second floor unit he was renting.  All he wanted was a hot shower, a beer and either a good book or basketball game to watch.  He turned the key, opened the door and as soon as he had shut it again, his roommate, Wyatt, was standing right there. 

            “Hey, glad you made it back in time,” Wyatt said with a sheepish grin on his face, like the cat that swallowed the canary.    

“In time for what?” Flynn questioned.

            “Time for you to get a shower and get changed before we go out,” Wyatt said smirking slightly.  “You _look_ awful and you _smell_ even worse,” he said as he flippantly punched Flynn in the arm.

            “Seriously?” Flynn groaned as he let the duffle bag he was carrying slump to the floor.  “I just got off a twelve hour plane ride and you want me to go out and do what exactly?” Flynn snapped.

            Wyatt and he weren’t exactly best buds, but they got along enough to split the two bedroom apartment.  One of them was usually either on assignment or deployed somewhere so they didn’t have to deal with each other that much.  They had met on some botched assignment in Tangiers a little over two years ago and Flynn had saved Wyatt’s six that day.  The two had worked well together and managed to salvage the mission with only minimal damage.  They became friends after that.  Well, more of acquaintances really.  Flynn really didn’t have friends per se.  Unless you counted Jiya, the young NSA analyst who was basically his lifeline while he was in the field.  Work friends sure, but not someone he would bother with any personal issues.  Though it felt like an eon since he had any _personal issues_ to speak of.

            “I want you to meet my new girlfriend,” Wyatt beamed.  “I think I might really be falling for this one,” he added.

            “Is this a joke?” Flynn stated tilting his head in disgust.  “Can’t I meet your flavor of the month tomorrow after I’ve at least slept some?” he bemoaned.

            “Come on Flynn.  I already told Lucy that we would meet her.  She’s bringing a friend for you,” Wyatt teased.

            _He had wanted a beer, so….._

            “Fine,” Flynn snarled.  “I’ll go but I’m not staying long.”

            “Ah don’t say that buddy.  You never know, you could meet the woman of your dreams tonight,” Wyatt chucked.

            _Highly unlikely,_ he thought to himself.  _Highly unlikely._

 

            When the two of them arrived at the bar, they found a table in the corner and took a seat.  It was your typical sports bar, with at least a dozen flat screen televisions on the wall, a pool table in the corner and a dart board on the opposite side.  Wyatt bought two beers up at the bar while Flynn was idly watching the Lakers game on one of the televisions.  He had a good view of the front door of the bar and had purposely sat at this table for its proximity to the emergency exit behind them.  _Habit_ , he thought.  He was genuinely having second thoughts about doing this.  Wyatt was a nice enough guy, but his girlfriends, at least the ones Flynn had met, were generally not the kind of women Flynn was interested in or had anything in common with.  They cared more about partying, shopping and sex than an actual real, emotional connection and enduring relationship.  Sometimes, though, when he felt like being especially devilish, he would play up his accent and “James Bond spy persona” for Wyatt’s girlfriends. He knew it pissed Wyatt off because the women would then look at him like he was the coolest, sophisticated man they had ever laid eyes on.    

             Just then the door opened and two women strolled into the bar.  The first woman through the door had long, wavy, red hair, green eyes, her face dotted with light freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose and widening out onto her cheeks. She was tall, had on a brown suede shearling jacket, brown ribbed turtleneck sweater, jeans and brown leather riding boots.  She was pretty, he thought.  The second woman was hidden behind the first, as she was shorter than the redhead.  As she stepped around a waitress carrying a tray of drinks, his heart stopped.  Time stopped.  His brain was malfunctioning.  She was a tiny woman with dark hair that fell in a few curls around her slender shoulders.  Her brown eyes shone like bits of polished onyx. She was wearing a light shade of pink lipstick that contrasted her pale skin like a cherry blossom blooming against freshly fallen snow. She had on a plain, black, long sleeved shirt with a keyhole neckline, jeans and short black ankle boots.  She was beautiful, alluring, enchanting. He had to make a conscious effort to slam his jaw shut before anyone saw him gawking like an idiot.  _Please be the friend. Please,_ he thought to himself _._

            As the women approached their table, Wyatt stood up and greeted the beautiful brunette with a kiss.  His heart sunk.  _She_ was Wyatt’s girlfriend.

            Wyatt gestured for the two women to sit down.  Then he turned to Flynn and introduced the two women.  “Flynn, this is Lucy and her friend Emma.”

             “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Lucy beamed with a smile that was as bright as a supernova.  When she smiled she was even _more_ beautiful he thought.  “I was starting to think Wyatt made you up,” she laughed.

            He managed to give a chuckle in response.  Words were forming in his head to respond to her, but the words escaped his tongue.  His initial reaction to seeing her wasn’t wrong; she was jaw dropping. 

            “It’s nice to meet you Lucy,” he managed to stammer back as he shook her hand.  When he touched her hand, a jolt of electrical current ran through every cell, vein, tissue and synapse of his entire body.  It wasn’t like a shock you would feel as the result of static electricity, but like being struck down by the most powerful bolt of lightning the thunder god had in his arsenal.  His heart was pounding. When she let go and the handshake ended, the aching in his chest began.  His doom began.  His bewitching began.  The spell of Lucy had officially taken over his soul and left him both sated and empty.   He had never had an experience like that in his entire life.  And he was not the kind of man that believed in love at first sight.  Thought it was only nonsense that poets and fools bought into.  Yet, he could not ignore what he was feeling.

            Trying not to forget the manners his mother had ingrained in him, he turned to Emma and stuck out his hand. “Garcia,” he stated as he shook Emma’s hand.  “Emma,” she curtly replied. 

            _Crap,_ he thought to himself _._   Had Emma caught him staring at Lucy?  Had she?  He needed to be mindful of his expressions and put the thought of Lucy out of his mind.  She was _with_ Wyatt.  And he could hear his mother’s voice in his head telling him he needed to be courteous to Emma.  Be a gentleman like his mother had taught him. 

            Throughout the night the four of them continued to drink, laugh and generally get to know one another.  Lucy’s laugh was as infectious as her smile.  _God, what the hell was this amazing woman doing with Wyatt?_

            All of a sudden Wyatt stood up from the table.  The action jerked him back into reality.  “Alright, so who thinks they can take down the master?” Wyatt asked as he motioned one arm toward the pool table.  Flynn couldn’t help but smirk at this.  He would’ve loved nothing more than to beat him at pool and make him look like the idiot he was in front of Lucy.  He started to speak to accept Wyatt’s challenge, but Emma responded first. “You’re so going down soldier boy!” she exclaimed.

            He leaned toward Emma, trying to be a semi-decent date, and encouraged her.  “Kick his ass,” he half-whispered, but loud enough for them all to hear.  “Oh he doesn’t stand a chance,” Emma replied. 

            Although he would rather be the one current kicking Wyatt’s ass at pool, that left him alone with Lucy at the table.  _Breathe, just breathe._  

            “So, how exactly did you two meet?” he asked leaning across the table to be closer to her. 

            “Um,” Lucy hesitated, twirling a loose curl around her index finger.  “It was literally by accident.  I rear-ended his truck after spilling coffee all over myself. I was rushing so I wouldn’t be late for my class,” she replied with a blush that gave her cheeks the same pinkish hue as her lipstick.  _She was beyond adorable_ _when she blushed._

            “What?” he laughed. 

            “I’m a total klutz on a good day,” she explained.  “But that was beyond embarrassing,” she said as she slightly blushed again.  “He took one look at me with coffee stains all over my blouse and pants, completely took pity on me and insisted the entire thing was his fault even though it clearly wasn’t,” she stated with a smile as she looked fondly over at Wyatt.  “He refused to let me pay for the damage and when I kept insisting that I do, he told me I could pay by accompanying him to dinner. And the rest is history.”  Lucy elaborated. 

            “Well, that’s definitely a unique story,” he laughed.  She laughed back.  There was a silence that fell over both of them momentarily and then they both laughed again.

            “So, Lucy, what do you do for a living?” he asked leaning on his elbow towards her. 

            Lucy looked puzzled as she stared back at him.  “Did Wyatt tell you _anything_ about me at all?”

            _Lie.  Be honest._   The proverbial tug of war between the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other.  “Honestly, not really,” Flynn replied.  He saw the instant look of disappointment on Lucy’s face.   He had caused her pain, but not intentionally.  He couldn’t bear that look on her face any longer.  “Though in his defense, I’ve been in Europe for the last six months so I haven’t really spoken to him much,” he added.  That seemed to perk Lucy up a bit. 

            “I’m a historian at Stanford,” she said proudly.  This both shocked and intrigued him.  Not the kind of girl that Wyatt typically dated.   They talked about their mutual love of history for a while when Wyatt and Emma reappeared at the table.  “All hail the queen,” Emma stated as she sat back down at the table.  Wyatt slumped back into his seat next to Lucy. 

            They all had another round of drinks and then decided to call it a night.  Wyatt went with Lucy and Emma in Lucy’s car.  That left him alone with his thoughts the entire drive home. Every one of which was of Lucy.  He didn’t want to disparage his friend, but couldn’t help but wonder what a woman like _her_ would see in a guy like Wyatt.  Wyatt was a decent enough guy, a little hot headed at times, but mostly good hearted.  Wyatt liked beer, sports and race cars.  Lucy liked books more than beer, knew nothing about sports (save some sports history) and even less about cars. _What the hell did they have in common?_

            He knew he had to stop these thoughts about Lucy.  He just couldn’t get his brain to comply.  _Why couldn’t he have been the one who she had rear-ended that morning?_  

            She was the last thing he remembered before he dozed off that night.  He had never believed in that tired old adage of love at first sight.  He had known her for the span of one night.  You can’t fall in love with someone _that_ fast.  Or _could_ you?  Suddenly he was reminded of Wyatt’s words to him early that night. _You could meet the woman of your dreams tonight_. And he had.  Problem was she was another man’s girlfriend.


	2. The Spell Takes Root

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flynn reflects on meeting Lucy. Lucy and Amy have a conversation about Flynn. Rufus and Jiya meet for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise the next chapter will move the story at a faster pace. I just had to have a little Riya and some Fliya first.

            Flynn woke the next morning feeling much like he did when he went to bed the night before.  _Please let it be a dream._   He rubbed his hand over his forehead.  He didn’t want it to be real, but the aching in his chest told him it was.  This was not a situation he had ever found himself in.  He felt different, changed somehow.  This was _not him_.  _What the hell are you doing?_ Wyatt would probably screw this up soon, as was his recent track record and then he would never see Lucy again anyway.  This was useless, futile.

            Flynn got out of bed and hopped into the shower.  The hot water beading down his face and chest helped the aching slightly.  His mind began to wander back to Lucy.  _That smile.  Those sparkling eyes._   _Those lips._ As if smacked right across the face, his next thought went to who was _actually_ kissing those lips.  Wyatt.  Ugh.  He couldn’t do that to him.  It wasn’t right.  He wasn’t the type to go after another guy’s girl.  That was the type of thing assholes did to each other.  Not friends.  He definitely _could_ be an asshole at times, but….

            He had to try to forget about these ever growing feelings inside him.  Garcia Flynn did _not_ get all love-struck and weak in the knees.  He was an intelligence operative capable of killing another human being with his bare hands.  _Getting hog tied and beaten by the Russians was easier than this._     

            He managed to keep Lucy out of his thoughts on his drive to the NSA office by blaring the radio and humming whatever song happened to be on.  Once he got into his office and sunk into his chair, everything changed.  Lucy had crept back into his thoughts.  It was as if something had taken root in him. A seed had been planted and it grew larger and stronger with every thought of Lucy.  He knew the longer he was around her the worse whatever this was would get, but he _needed_ to be near her.  _Needed_ to learn more about her, to know _everything_ about her.  His train of thought was broken by a knock on the door of his office.  He turned to see Jiya standing there.  

            “So, how was your date last night?” she asked inquisitively.  “Did you and Emma hit it off?”

            Emma.  He hadn’t given her a second thought since last night.  His thoughts were consumed with Lucy, like she was the last and only woman on Earth.  “Um, that, um… She’s not really my type,” Flynn replied. 

            “Oh?  You’re not into self-absorbed, bitchy, obnoxious psychopaths?” Jiya chuckled mockingly.

            Flynn looked back at her in shock.  “I’m taking it you’ve met her then.”

            “Unfortunately, I don’t think I can forget the night I met Darth Whitmore,” she answered.

            Flynn burst out in laughter and Jiya followed.

            “Wyatt thought she’d be _perfect_ for you,” she snickered, laughing even harder than before. 

            “Figures,” Flynn said.

            “I haven’t known you as long as Wyatt has, but I’m pretty sure you don’t want to date _La Femme Nikita or Lara Croft,_ ” Jiya interjected. “Probably see enough of that in your work life.  I can’t possibly imagine you’d want it in your free time.”

            “You know,” Flynn said as he leaned closer to Jiya, hands on his thighs, “Your skills of observation are frankly scary at times.” 

            Jiya beamed back at him.  She knew he meant what he said.  If Flynn was anything, he was always brutally honest with her.  It’s why she preferred to work as _his_ technical analyst. 

            “If I had to guess……,” she began.

            “Guess what?” Flynn questioned.

            “I’d say you would be more inclined to date a woman like Lucy than Emma,” Jiya replied.

            Flynn literally choked and spit some of the coffee he had been drinking out of his mouth. 

            Jiya eyed him suspiciously, analyzing his body movements while simultaneously handing him a tissue from his desk to wipe the coffee from his chin and mouth. 

            Flynn took the tissue and wiped his mouth then turned to her with a devilish smile.  “Really?”  “You’ll need to elaborate on that Agent Marri.  Your operative needs to understand _why_ you believe this particular intelligence is legit,” he declared as the smile left his face and a stoic expression replaced it.  He had to try to cover up what his body language had already betrayed.  She was dead on in her analysis.  She just didn’t know how close to the bull’s-eye she had come. 

            “Agent Flynn, my analysis of the target individual, in my opinion, has shown me that he’s attracted to strong women, but not necessarily in the physical sense of the word.   More specifically, women who are intelligent, independent and who stand up for what they believe is right.  Women who are emotionally mature and would challenge him to open up.  A true and equal partner,” Jiya stated firmly.

            _Yes, yes, all of the above.  And Lucy fit that description to a tee_. 

            “Don’t forget beautiful.  I mean, I am a man Jiya,” he added.

            “Thanks for the confirmation, _Agent._ _So_ , what did you think of Lucy?”

            Flynn didn’t even have time to respond before Jiya giddily added, “She’s awesome isn’t she?”

            _She was awesome.  More than awesome.  Magical.  Ethereal.  But he COULD NOT admit that to anyone!_

            “Yeah, Lucy seems really nice,” he said.  He made sure his eyes did not meet Jiya’s lest she may be able to detect the understatement in his voice.

            “Wyatt introduced us like a month ago and we’ve hung out a few times just the two of us.  We’ve really become fast friends.  It’s almost like we’ve known each other forever,” she added.

            “I know what you mean.”  Flynn laughed slightly as the words fell out of his mouth.  “I only talked to her for a little while last night, but I got a vibe from her that she’s one of those people,” he said with a smile.

            “One of what people?” Jiya asked quizzically.

            “The kind of people who you immediately feel comfortable around, like you’ve known them for as long as you can remember, even though you haven’t.  Someone who most people like because they’re as genuine as can be,” he clarified. 

            It was one of the first things he had noticed about Lucy. She seemed genuinely interested in _actually_ getting to know him.

            “Exactly!” Jiya seconded.  “Well, I’ll let you get back to work Agent Flynn,” she stated as she pointed to the pile of paperwork on his desk.

            As Jiya was almost at his doorway, Flynn leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head. “Agent Marri.  There is one exception to your earlier theory,” he said stoically. 

            Jiya stopped and turned on her heel to face him.

            “Wonder Woman.”

            “Wonder Woman?” Jiya asked completely taken aback by his comment.

            “I would definitely date Wonder Woman.  She’s way _too_ hot and she’s got that lasso….”

            “Oh my God.  You are incorrigible,” Jiya answered rolling her eyes as she disappeared into the hallway.

            When Lucy arrived home after work the next day, she already had a planned Skype session with Amy to look forward to.  Amy had decided that she was going to attend school on the East Coast, because she did not want to follow in both her mother and sister’s footsteps.  After she graduated, she got a job offer in New York and decided to stay.  Amy had always been on a different path in life than Lucy.  It didn’t mean they loved each other any less.  They were still best friends.

            “So, what did you do last night?” Amy asked.

            “I went to the bar with Wyatt, Emma and Wyatt’s roommate, Garcia,” Lucy replied. 

            “Did you try to set his roommate up with Emma?”

            “Kind of,” Lucy said.

            “Is he some kind of world class asshole or something?  No decent man deserves to have to deal with _that_ on a daily basis,” Amy stated shaking her head at the thought.

            “No, he’s really nice actually,” Lucy said.  “We talked about our mutual love of history a little bit.  He’s pretty interesting.”

_“Oh?”_ Amy questioned raising one eyebrow. 

“Amy!” Lucy yelled. “You know I am perfectly happy with Wyatt.  I’m not looking at other men like that!”

“Is he good looking?” Amy probed.

            Lucy became a shade of pink quickly.

            “Don’t even try to deny it! You’re face just told me everything I needed to know dear sister,” Amy giggled.

            Lucy blushed again. “Don’t tell Wyatt, but yes, he’s _very_ good looking.”

            “So how are things going with Wyatt then?  You sure you don’t want to ditch him for this new mysterious hot roommate of his?” Amy teased.

            “Things with Wyatt are going great!  He’s been really sweet to me.”

            “You didn’t answer my second question.”

“Amy, I told you.  I’m very happy with Wyatt.”

“Good. Cause if that jarhead hurts you, I’ll kill him myself,” Amy warned. 

            “Jarheads are what they call Marines.  Wyatt’s in the Army,” Lucy corrected.

            “Yes, Mom,” Amy replied mockingly.

            For the next few days, Flynn tried his best to avoid Wyatt.  He could not talk to him about Lucy and Wyatt just wouldn’t shut up about her.  Every time Wyatt would say her name, Flynn felt like he was being stabbed.  It physically pained him to think about the two of them together.  _Death by a thousand cuts._   And this wasn’t the kind of physical pain he could just stitch up and let the wound heal.  _How do you stitch a heart that’s literally breaking in two?_   He couldn’t bear being near the two of them, but he couldn’t bear being away from Lucy even more.  No matter what, Lucy kept winning the proverbial tug of war that was constantly being played out in his mind. 

            Jiya and he had put in about two hours of overtime when she turned to him and said, “Let’s call it a night.  It’s getting late, I’m about to pass out from hunger and you owe me a beer.”

            Flynn nodded his head in agreement.

            “We could check out that new Irish Pub a few blocks away,” Jiya said.

            They finished up what they were doing and walked the few blocks to the pub.  The place was packed but they managed to find an empty booth close to the door and took a seat. 

            “The first round is on you, Agent Flynn.  I’ll be right back,” she said.

            Flynn picked up the menu and was glancing over it when the door to the pub opened.  He looked up as a natural instinct.  _Lucy?  Can’t be.  What would she be doing in downtown San Francisco with a guy that was definitely not Wyatt?  He had to be hallucinating.  Either his brain was so obsessed with Lucy that everyone was starting to look like her or there was something in this beer._

            Jiya was walking back toward the table when she noticed Lucy standing by the door looking for an empty table. 

            “Lucy!” Jiya said moving closer towards her. 

            Jiya hugged Lucy and she ushered them over to the table where Flynn was sitting. 

            “Garcia,” Lucy said with a huge smile. 

            He loved her smile.  It both comforted and haunted him.  But he loved it the most when she would say his name.  Everybody else called him Flynn (occupational hazard most likely), but not Lucy.    

            “Sit with us.  There’s plenty of room,” Jiya said.

            Lucy turned to look at the man she had come to the pub with seeking his approval.  He wasn’t even paying attention. 

            “Rufus,” Lucy said tapping him on the arm. 

            “Yeah, cool whatever,” Rufus replied.

            “Flynn, move over,” Jiya said as she slid into the booth next to him. 

            Rufus and Lucy sat down on the opposite side of the booth. 

            “Rufus Carlin, these are my friends, Jiya Marri and Garcia Flynn,” Lucy stated.  “Rufus teaches engineering at Stanford.”

            Flynn shook Rufus’ hand. 

            “Nice to meet you Rufus,” Jiya said as she shook his hand also.

            “Hi,” Rufus responded shyly.

            Lucy looked at Rufus wondering why he was acting so strangely.  Then she noticed that he couldn’t stop stealing looks at Jiya.

            Lucy and Jiya started talking about something.  Flynn wasn’t sure.  They were going like a mile a minute.  Rufus and he made small talk, occasionally looking over to the women sitting next to them and either shaking their heads or straight out laughing. 

            Once the ladies had finished their drinks, Jiya slid out of her seat to let Flynn out of the booth.  It was his turn to buy the next round.  Jiya slid into Flynn’s seat and was now directly across from Rufus.

            Flynn came back with drinks for the four of them.  When he handed Lucy the beer, their fingers brushed slightly.  It wasn’t even full skin contact, but he felt a tingling sensation in his fingers that seemed to linger.  Like that part of him had been dead and she brought it to life by her touch.  She smiled back at him when she took the beer from his hand. 

            The next thing that Flynn and Lucy knew, Jiya and Rufus were engaged in a heated debate/discussion/argument over Star Wars vs. Star Trek.  Lucy and Flynn stared at them for a minute, enjoying the show the other two were putting on. 

            Unaware that they were completely ignoring Flynn and Lucy sitting just beside them, Jiya and Rufus continued to drink their beers and make their respective arguments. Flynn leaned closer to Lucy, resting his head on his hand. 

            “So Lucy,” Flynn said loudly, “What’s your opinion about Chewbacca?”

            Jiya and Rufus stopped talking immediately and turned their heads toward Flynn in unison.

            “Oh hey guys.  Lucy and I were in our own world talking about Star Wars. What’s up?”

            Everyone at the table just stared back at him. Lucy lost it first.  She burst out in laughter and the rest of them followed.

            “Sorry,” Jiya said.

            “Me too,” Rufus replied.

            “Wait.  I need to memorialize this moment,” Jiya stated as she took her cell phone out from her purse.  “Flynn and Lucy, I need you guys to move in a little closer.”

            Jiya snapped a couple pictures of the four of them with her phone.

            “I so want a copy of that,” Flynn said to Jiya.

            “Me too,” Lucy answered.

            Jiya sent Lucy and Flynn a copy then slid the phone across the table to Rufus. 

            “Here, send it to yourself and this way I’ll have your number so we can continue our conversation from earlier,” Jiya said to Rufus.

            Rufus took her phone and sent the picture to himself, then sent a text back so she would know which number was his. 

_Slick, Jiya.  Real slick.  They were as bad at flirting as he was_ , Flynn thought.


	3. There Will Be Vodka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wyatt is deployed, leaving Lucy alone with Flynn. Emma causes chaos. Lucy and Flynn grow even closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so long, but Garcy are just too adorable when they're together. I had to go there with Emma, just because she lives to makes Lucy's life miserable.

            For the next three months, Flynn tried his best to be near Lucy as much as he possibly could.  He cherished the few pictures he had of her on his phone, even if some of them were group shots.  He found himself looking at them whenever he didn’t see Lucy for a while.  It became more and more problematic to play it cool when he was around her.  He hung on her every word.  He began coming home from work earlier when he knew Lucy would be over so he could spend more time with her.  He didn’t think he could possibly love this woman any more than he already did, yet every day he seemed to love her even more.  The more he got to know her, the more he knew Wyatt wasn’t the right guy for her.  He _wanted_ to be, even though he didn’t believe he was worthy of her either.  He and Wyatt were mere mortals compared to the goddess Lucy.  She deserved better.  But even those rational thoughts and arguments went out the window when he gazed upon her.  Every time she smiled at him, the spell grew more powerful and slowly chipped away at his armored heart.  He wanted to tell her how he felt so badly.  But how could he?  He would just make an idiot out of himself.  Lucy had never given him any indication that she wanted to be anything other than friends.  She would either never speak to him again or she’d tell Wyatt and that would probably lead to a physical altercation of some type.

            He definitely could not let Wyatt get any ideas about him having ulterior motives, even if it would be 100% true.  The worst part was Wyatt kept pushing the idea of dating Emma. The idea was about as appealing to Emma as it was to Flynn.  Problem was that Flynn and Emma were the odd men out, sort of speak.  Lucy and Wyatt were dating and Jiya and Rufus were dating.  Flynn would be stuck with Emma by default when they all hung out.  Jiya always did her best to make sure to “save Flynn” for a while so he wouldn’t be stuck with Emma the whole night long.  When Emma told everyone she already had been dating someone for the past six months, Wyatt took it to be her polite way of stating she was not interested in Flynn, although no one else believed this.  Emma didn’t give a damn about being polite to anyone.  Flynn wasn’t sure she even had the capability to be nice.  Jiya, on the other hand, hated Emma with every fiber of her being.  Whenever Emma was being particularly nasty, (oftentimes aimed directly at Lucy), Jiya would start humming the Imperial Death March or would make Darth Vader breathing noises.  Flynn and Rufus were the only ones to ever get the joke. 

            Wyatt had recently been notified that he was being deployed on a mission and Lucy came to the apartment to say goodbye before he left.  Lucy was of course worried before he even left the apartment.  She had never been through a deployment before.  Things had been pretty routine and quiet for the last few months. 

            “Hey, Flynn,” Wyatt called from the front hallway. 

            “What?” Flynn replied from his bedroom.

            “Take care of my girl while I’m gone ok?” Wyatt asked.

            “Sure no problem.  You want me to assume all your boyfriend responsibilities?” Flynn sassed back.

            “Fuck you Flynn!” Wyatt yelled down the hall.

            Flynn just laughed.  He couldn’t help himself. 

            Wyatt turned to Lucy and cupped her cheeks in his hands.  “If he gets out of line or offends you in any way, you have my permission to clock him in the face,” Wyatt said.

            Lucy just smiled as Wyatt leaned in to kiss her goodbye.  She was pretty sure that she wouldn’t have to punch anyone.  Heck, even if she did have a reason to try, she was confident her arm wouldn’t reach his face anyway. 

            “I’ll miss you,” she whispered.

            “Miss you too,” he replied.

            For the next week or so, Lucy did her best to keep busy.  She concentrated on her work and her upcoming tenure meeting.  She also hung out with Jiya and Rufus. She did miss Wyatt, but not as much as she thought she would, if she was being honest with herself.  It was Saturday and Emma had asked her to brunch.  She wanted Lucy to finally meet her boyfriend.  When Lucy got to the restaurant, Emma was already waiting for her at the table.  Emma ordered mimosas for them.

            “Where’s this mysterious boyfriend that you wanted me to meet?” Lucy questioned.

            “He’ll be here in a little bit.  I wanted to talk to you about him first though,” Emma replied.

            “Emma, what’s going on?  You’re acting cagey,” Lucy said.

            “Ok.  He’s an older guy.  _Much_ older guy,” Emma stated. 

            Lucy just stared back at her.  Why would she judge her about dating an older man if it made Emma happy?

            “And he’s married,” Emma added.

            “What?” Lucy gasped.

            “Calm down.  He’s getting a divorce.  It’s almost finalized.  It’s not like I had some torrid affair with a happily married man.  They were separated when we met,” Emma said.

            “Emma, are you happy?” Lucy asked.

            “Happier than I’ve ever been,” she replied.

            “Well, then I’m happy for you,” Lucy answered.

            Lucy wasn’t sure what to say.  She gazed around the restaurant and noticed a man walking towards their table.  But it wasn’t Emma’s boyfriend.  It was her biological father, Benjamin Cahill.  Or as she liked to refer to him, “Creepy Bio Dad.” 

            “Great.  What the hell does he want?” Lucy groaned.

            Emma turned to see who Lucy was referring to and then turned back to Lucy just as Benjamin reached their table.

            “Hello, Lucy,” he said.

            “What do you want?” Lucy grumbled.

            “To have a nice brunch with my daughter and my girlfriend,” Benjamin responded.

            Lucy’s eyes were so wide they were almost bulging out of her head.  It took her brain a few seconds to process what he said.  Benjamin pulled out a chair and sat down next to Emma giving her a quick kiss on the lips.  Lucy almost threw up in her mouth.  This was some sort of sick, twisted nightmare and she would wake up screaming any second now.  She pinched her arm hard and began counting to three.  But she wasn’t waking up.  The image of her friend kissing her father was scorched into her brain.  She could never forget what she had just witnessed no matter how hard she may try. 

            “This is what I was trying to tell you earlier, but couldn’t find the right words,” Emma said smiling.

            “The right words?” Lucy scoffed.  “What exactly _are_ the right words to tell your friend that you’re dating her father?  I mean, how could you?”

            “Lucy, we never meant to hurt you,” Benjamin pleaded.

            “We didn’t plan on this happening and I didn’t want to tell you unless this was going somewhere,” Emma explained.

            Going somewhere.  Lucy couldn’t bear to think about it for one more second.

            “I can’t believe you Emma!  You know how I feel about him. He’s a creepy, smug asshole,” Lucy said as her voice became louder and people in the restaurant were starting to look their way.

            “Now Lucy, is that any way to speak about your own father?” he asked.

            “ _You_ ,” Lucy replied digging her fingernails into the palms of her hands to contain her literal rage, “Are not my father.  Henry Wallace was my father.  You’re nothing more to me than a sperm donor.”

            Lucy picked up her napkin and threw it onto the table.

            “Lucy, please,” Benjamin begged.

            “I’m sorry!” Emma yelled as Lucy walked away from the table towards the front door of the restaurant.

            _I don’t care_ , Lucy thought to herself.  She felt betrayed in the worst way by someone she thought was a friend.  Her mind was racing with thoughts and she didn’t know what to do next.  She wanted to talk to someone about what had just happened.  She couldn’t call Jiya because she didn’t want to interrupt the romantic weekend that Rufus had planned for them.  She didn’t want to talk to her mother about this either.  Lucy was still pissed at her for lying about Benjamin Cahill for the majority of her life.  She could try to call Amy, but chances were she would be busy doing something on a Saturday afternoon. Amy was always on the go, which is why half of their conversations were pre-planned Skype sessions.  There was only one other person besides Amy that she could always talk to about anything. 

            It was early Saturday afternoon and Flynn had just gotten out of the shower when he heard a knock at his front door.  He grabbed his white tank top that he had left on the bed and put it on.  He strolled down the hallway to the front door.   He opened the door and saw Lucy standing there.  She was carrying a bottle of vodka and her eyes were all red and puffy.  Flynn was shocked to see Lucy in such a state of distress. 

            “Lucy, what’s wrong?” he asked.

            “I’m sorry to just show up here on your doorstep like this, but I need to talk to someone,” Lucy answered as the tears began streaming down her face.

            He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms and tell her he would make whatever was bothering her better.  Instead, he pushed the front door open wider and motioned for her to come in.  It physically pained him to watch her cry and be upset.  Lucy walked in and headed straight for the kitchen.  She grabbed two glasses from the kitchen cabinet and opened the bottle of vodka. She filled both glasses and put the cap back on the bottle. Before Lucy could pick up the glass, Flynn was behind her.  He gently put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him.

            “Lucy, talk to me.”

            She held up a finger, turned and took a sip of her vodka, then turned back to face him.  The look of concern on his face was something foreign to her.  He was the one person who could always manage to make her laugh and bring a smile to her face.  She supposed that was another reason why she inevitably wound up seeking him out.

            “I met Emma’s boyfriend today.  She….neglected to tell me that she was dating my creepy bio Dad,” Lucy explained.

            “What?” Flynn asked not quite sure he heard her correctly.

            Lucy took the glass of vodka in her hand, walked to the living room and slouched down onto the sofa.  Flynn followed her out and sat down beside her.  She was crying again. 

            “I thought she was my friend and she’s been lying to me for six months. The guy is a complete asshole and I want nothing to do with him.  She knew that and she went out with him anyway?  Who does that?” Lucy questioned as she took another sip of vodka then placed her glass on the coffee table. 

            She was crying harder now.  It was breaking his heart.  Before his brain began to process what his body was doing, he reached out to her pulling her into a tight embrace.  Her hands were on his chest nervously picking at the edges of his tank top.  The constant aching that he’d always experienced was gone.  It had been replaced with a feeling of peaceful contentment.  Like his soul had found the counterpart it had been searching for through countless lives.  He squeezed her body tighter and made soft shushing sounds as he gently rocked her in his arms.

            “I never want to speak to her again,” Lucy cried looking up at him.

            “Lucy, forget about her.  She’s not worth getting this upset over.  I hate to tell you this, but most of us couldn’t stand her,” Flynn replied gently brushing a few errand strands of hair from her face. 

            She stared dead on at his face for a moment as she slowly began to calm down.  He continued to gently rock her as a comfortable silence fell over the two of them.  _This felt right_.  He wasn’t glad that Lucy had been hurt by Emma, but he was glad he was here to hold her and comfort her.  Lucy was beyond precious to him and he had unknowingly become very protective of her, even if he had been subjugated to the friend zone.  He had never loved anything or anyone more in his life.  Her pain was his. He would’ve gladly taken it all on himself in order to spare her. 

            Lucy pulled back slowly from his arms, although she kept her hands pressed gently on his chest.  He let his hands fall to his sides as he was afraid they might accidentally wander to her hips.  As her faculties slowly began coming back to her, she shook her head.

            “What? What is it Lucy?”

            “Please don’t take this the wrong way.  But out of all the people I know, you’re the easiest to talk to,” Lucy explained.

            Flynn felt a swell of pride fill his chest.  His heart told him to blurt out it was because they were soulmates.  His brain told him to think again. 

            Lucy pulled completely away from him and picked up her glass from the coffee table.  As she took another swig, her brain began to process the sight before her eyes.  She hadn’t seemed to notice when she first arrived since she was so upset.  The white tank top that Flynn had on nicely illustrated the musculature of his arms and chest.  She had never noticed before.  _How did she not notice before now?_

            Suddenly, her train of thought was broken by Flynn’s phone dinging.  He looked down at it from where he was seated on the couch and then looked at his watch. 

            “Do you need to answer that?” Lucy asked.

            “No.  I know who it is,” Flynn answered.

            “Do you need to be somewhere?  I’m so sorry.  I just barged in here with all my stupid drama,” Lucy said as she lowered her head in shame.  “Would you mind if I just stayed here a while?  I’m afraid Emma or the creeper might show up at my house and I really don’t want to deal with that right now,” she stated.

            “I don’t mind at all, but why don’t you just come with me?”  Flynn questioned.  “I’m only going next door.  Mrs. Alvarez is having a barbeque.  If I don’t show up, she’ll just keep sending me text messages and then she’ll come up here.”

            “Are you talking about the older lady that lives on the first floor who is always eyeing me up and down from her front porch when I come over?” she asked.

            “Yep.  That’s her.  I’ve helped her out a few times carrying her groceries and things like that.  She likes to tell people in the complex not to mess with her because I work for “the man,” he laughed.

            “She sounds like quite the character,” Lucy replied,

            “Oh she is.”

            “I think I’m good here,” Lucy said with a hint of hesitation in her voice.

            “Suit yourself,” he said as he got up and walked down the hallway to his bedroom.

            When he came back out to the living room, Lucy noticed that he had changed his shirt.  She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed. 

            Flynn went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle from the cabinet.

            “I got some Don Q rum for her.  She’s originally from Puerto Rico and she constantly complains about not being able to get it around here.  That should make up for being a little late,” he added.

            Lucy smiled back at him.  “Can you just hand me the vodka before you leave?”

            Flynn walked from the kitchen and leaned against the wall in the living room, looming above her. 

            “Oh you mean this vodka bottle?” he asked as he shook the bottle playfully in his right hand.  “This bottle is accompanying me to Mrs. Alvarez’s apartment.  So if you want it…..”

            “You’re not going to take no for an answer are you?” Lucy groaned.

            Flynn smirked and gently shook the bottle again, the vodka swishing around in a hypnotic pattern.  Lucy suddenly found herself unable to resist. 

            “Fine, you win,” she stated as she got up off the couch.

 


	4. Salsa On the Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flynn helps Lucy forget about being upset as they grow closer. Wyatt's green-eyed monster rears its ugly head.

            Flynn and Lucy walked next door to Mrs. Alvarez’s apartment.  The front door was open and Lucy let Flynn go in first.  The second floor apartments, like Flynn and Wyatt’s had balconies.  The first floor apartments had patios.  They could see that the back door to the patio was open when they walked in.  Then they heard a voice coming from the kitchen.

            “That better be you Garcia!” she said as she poked her head into the hallway. 

            “It’s me.  I come bearing gifts,” Flynn said as he handed her the bottle of Don Q.

            Mrs. Alvarez looked down at the bottle and shrieked.  She reached up, grabbed Flynn’s face and planted a kiss to each cheek.

            “This is why I love you.  Come, everyone’s out back.  Plenty of food for you and your friend,” she said ushering them to the back door.

            When Lucy walked out the back door, she saw that there were a bunch of tables and chairs set up in the middle of the patio.  There was a grill off to the side and a young dark haired man was tending to it.  The patio next door was a makeshift dancefloor and a few couples were dancing to the music coming from speakers set on a small table.  There was a large table next to it with a wide variety of food laid out buffet style.  Flynn and Lucy took a seat at one of the tables.  Mrs. Alvarez sat down at the table with the two of them.  She poured herself a glass of the Don Q with a splash of Coke.  Lucy was slightly taken aback by the ratio of alcohol to Coke in the woman’s glass, but who was she to talk right now.  She was already on her third glass of vodka.

            “This one…is like the son I never had,” Mrs. Alvarez said to Lucy as she was pointing at Flynn.

            Flynn laughed so hard that he almost choked on his drink.  Lucy turned to look at him puzzled.

            “Why are you laughing?” Lucy asked.

            “She has two sons,” Flynn replied.  “One of which is standing over there manning the grill.”

            Mrs. Alvarez waived her hand in dismissal.  Then suddenly, a huge flame shot up from the grill grabbing everyone’s attention.

            “Good grief.  Mateo, just….step away from the damn grill!” she yelled.

            Her son looked terrified.  He put down the spatula and stepped back from the grill.  Mrs. Alvarez turned back to Flynn and Lucy.

            “You see!  That’s the kind of idiocy I have to deal with. Garcia, would you mind taking over so my moron son doesn’t blow us all to kingdom come?” she asked.

            Flynn nodded and laughed again as he got up to take over Mateo’s grilling duties.  

            Lucy grabbed some food and sat back down at the table with Mrs. Alvarez.  She could see Flynn at the grill and noticed that he would look over at her every so often to make sure she was okay.  Mrs. Alvarez seemed to notice as well.

            “That’s one hell of a man you got there Lucy.  If I was younger….,” Mrs. Alvarez said.

            “Mama!” Mateo said as he sat down next to his mother.

            Lucy laughed, but she didn’t correct her.  She should’ve corrected her and told Mrs. Alvarez that they were only friends, but the words would not come out of her mouth.  _Why didn’t she correct her?_

            Lucy glanced back over to Flynn and noticed that a young woman was standing there talking to him.  She had long, straight dark brown hair and looked to be in her early twenties. She was wearing a floral print sundress and was very pretty.  The girl was definitely flirting with Flynn.  Lucy watched the interaction between the two of them intently from her seat at the table.  _Wait, was she jealous?  Why should she be jealous?_

            Mrs. Alvarez seemed to pick up on what was holding Lucy’s attention. 

            “Oh hell no,” Mrs. Alvarez said as she shook her head.  “I told that girl to stop making a fool of herself.  If I told her once, I told her a thousand times that Garcia is not interested.  See, another one of my idiot family members!” Mrs. Alvarez exclaimed.

            “Mama!” Mateo said again in embarrassment.

            “Camila,” Mrs. Alvarez said waiving her hand toward the girl, “is my granddaughter.  She has about as much sense as her mother!”

            “Enough, mama!” Mateo yelled.

            As Mrs. Alvarez and Mateo continued to argue, Lucy turned back around to Flynn.  It was at that exact moment that he happened to be pointing right at her.  Camila looked Lucy up and down in an instant and her sly smile turned into a glare.  _If looks could kill_.  Lucy didn’t know what came over her, but before she knew it she was responding by blowing him a kiss.  Flynn looked like he momentarily went into cardiac arrest.  Camila looked about as enraged as a snorting, smoking bull.  Lucy just smirked, took another sip of her drink and maintained eye contact the entire time.  She felt _so_ satisfied right now.  Lucy had no idea where it was coming from.  _She wasn’t like this_.  _She was always the good girl, the one who avoided conflict.  She definitely didn’t seek it out.  She always worried about everyone else.  Well, in a sense, that’s what she was doing right?  Garcia looked uncomfortable, so she was just helping out a friend.  Yeah, that’s it.  Or was it?_   Lucy’s head was spinning and she wasn’t sure if she should blame the vodka or something else.  _Was she just lonely?_

            When she broke her train of thought, she saw Camila give her the stink eye as she walked passed her back into the apartment. She turned her gaze back to Flynn and he mouthed “Thank you.”

            Lucy was _definitely_ starting to feel the effects of the vodka.  She wasn’t exactly falling over drunk, but she was undeniably buzzed.  The salsa music was filling her ears.  The vodka was warming her chest and throat.  Her stomach was full from the fantastic food she had consumed.  The events of earlier today were a distant memory.  Lucy was grateful for the distraction and found herself letting all her pent up anger, sadness and loneliness melt away.    

            The next thing she knew, Mateo had grabbed her hand and drug her out on the dancefloor.  She tried to tell him that she couldn’t dance and was uncoordinated, but he was having none of it.  Mateo spun her around the dancefloor with proficiency and Lucy tried her best not to embarrass herself.  Good thing was, no one was even paying attention to her out there (or so she thought).  She glanced toward the grill but Flynn wasn’t there.  She knew he wouldn’t leave the party without her, so she shrugged it off and concentrated on her dancing.  Mateo was a decent enough teacher and was more than patient with her.  She was smiling ear to ear, hips swaying in rhythmic harmony as he moved her gracefully across the patio.  As they approached the tables, Lucy noticed that Flynn was sitting with Mrs. Alvarez.  His back was turned to her, but she couldn’t miss the look on Mrs. Alvarez’s face. 

            “You gonna allow _that_ to continue,” Mrs. Alvarez said to Flynn as she nodded her head toward Lucy and Mateo.  Flynn turned his chair halfway around so he could get a better look at them. 

            “Nope, I’m enjoying the show.  Plus, better his feet getting stepped on than mine,” Flynn chuckled.

            Mrs. Alvarez balled up her napkin and threw it across the table at him playfully.  Flynn turned back to watch Lucy just as Mateo dipped her as the song ended.  The next song started immediately and Mateo pulled Lucy back up as fast as he dipped her, pulling her close to him in the process.  Flynn could feel his pulse quicken.  His eyes were no longer locked on Lucy but were carefully studying the location of Mateo’s hands.  He did _not_ like what he saw.  He was actually a little jealous. _You have no reason to be jealous, she’s not yours_! 

            The spinning in Lucy’s head was beginning to be too much.  She couldn’t say if it was caused more by her dancing or the vodka.  Mateo spun her and Lucy tripped over her feet, hurling herself backwards and directly into Flynn’s lap.  He grabbed her quickly to prevent her from falling.  As she pulled herself upright, their mouths were so close she could feel his breath upon her.  She put her arms around his neck to steady herself.  Lucy felt a sudden urge to kiss him.  She looked up into his eyes and he was staring back at her.  _What the hell was she doing?  She couldn’t kiss her boyfriend’s friend and roommate.  Would it be fair to him?  What if he didn’t feel the same?  She could blame it on being drunk if he wasn’t receptive.  Did she only want to kiss him because she was drunk?  Was it because she was lonely?_  Thoughts raced through her head like a tornado.  None of them were providing clarity, just more confusion. 

            “Are you okay Lucy?” Flynn asked with concern.

            Lucy didn’t respond verbally, but instead buried her head into his shoulder, laughing deliriously. 

            “I think it’s time we head out,” Flynn responded.

            He lifted Lucy’s arms from around his neck.  Touching her sent waves of electric current through his body.  He would gladly have let her sit in his lap for the rest of the night.  She was absolutely stunning in the glow of the soft moonlight. He had to physically pick her up off of his lap.  She grabbed onto his arm as she stood to steady herself. 

            Lucy turned to Mrs. Alvarez and Mateo (who had come over to the table to make sure she was okay) and thanked them both for a lovely evening. 

            “You’re welcome any time,” Mrs. Alvarez answered.  “I will always make time for my favorite son and my future daughter-in-law.”

            Lucy laughed and Flynn looked at her confused.

            “It’s nothing.  I’ll tell you later,” she whispered.

            She held onto Flynn as they walked back to his apartment.  She was most definitely drunk.  Flynn let Lucy go up the stairs to the apartment first in case she lost her balance.  They entered the apartment and Lucy collapsed onto the couch.  Flynn got a glass of water for her from the kitchen.

            “Here,” he said handing her the glass.  “You need to drink something clear that does _not_ contain alcohol.” 

            Lucy laughed as she took the glass from his hand. 

            “Thank you for making me go with you tonight.  I had a great time and forgot all about why I was even upset,” Lucy confessed.

            “I enjoyed the company,” he responded smiling back at her.

            She patted the couch next to her motioning for him to sit.  Without hesitation, he was next to her.  _Whatever Lucy wanted_.  He was devoid of free will while enchanted by her spell.  They sat there in an uncomfortable silence for a moment. 

            “You know, Lucy…I promise not to tell Wyatt that you think I’m much more fun that he is,” Flynn smirked.

            The silence was broken permanently as Lucy could not contain her laughter.  No matter what, he could always manage to bring a smile to her face.  She laughed so hard that she fell over, her head landing perfectly between his neck and shoulder.  _Don’t move.  He didn’t seem to mind you falling on him.  And he smells fantastic.  What kind of cologne is that? Tall, dark and musky?_

            _She hasn’t moved.  Keep your mouth shut you idiot!_ _Maybe she’ll stay there._

            About 10 minutes later he looked down to find Lucy fast asleep.  He didn’t have the heart to wake her.  He would let her sleep and watch the end of the movie. 

            He must have dozed off because the next thing he was aware of was pressure on his chest.  He opened his eyes to find Lucy was almost on top of him. 

            “Lucy….what are you…” were the only words that Flynn could utter before her lips were pressed to his.  The kiss was soft and slow, like she was testing the waters.  His brain was altogether malfunctioning.  She broke the kiss and stared down at him searching for a reaction.  He wanted to know.  He needed to know it wasn’t just because she was drunk.

            “Lucy, what…what is this?” he asked. 

            “What I want,” she replied kissing him again, this time more passionately. 

            That was the last thing his brain genuinely registered.  He wrapped his arms around her pulling her closer to his body.  Her leg coiled over his like a boa constrictor slowly squeezing its prey.  He trailed his kisses from her mouth down the side of her neck.  Lucy let out a little moan.  Somehow, his brain managed to make a mental note of that.  He was intoxicated by her.  They continued kissing until they were both breathless.  Unfortunately, his conscious brain kicked back in.  _She’s drunk, really drunk.  You can’t take advantage of her like that.  This isn’t just some one night stand you’ll never see again, you love this woman_.  She kissed him again and he lost the battle with rational thought.  He wanted her more than anything.  His heart was racing.  He was finding it hard to resist the urge to flip her onto her back, but there wasn’t much room on the couch to maneuver.  He didn’t want to ruin this by throwing her off the couch entirely. 

            The next thing Flynn knew, a bright light was shining in his face, temporarily blinding him. 

            “What the hell is going on here?” Wyatt screamed.

            Flynn rubbed his eyes.  Lucy _was_ on top of him, but they weren’t in the middle of the throws of passion, she was dead asleep.  _It was all a dream, but it felt so real._

            Lucy popped her head up off of Flynn’s chest, startled by the sound of Wyatt’s yelling.  She was quite hung over and her head was pounding like a jackhammer. 

            “Wyatt?” she asked in confusion.

            Wyatt was standing over them, his face as red and hot as a raging inferno. 

            “We must’ve fallen asleep during the movie.  Nothing happened,” Flynn explained.

            “Really?  How dumb do you both think I am?” Wyatt demanded.

            “Please stop yelling,” Lucy whispered.

            “Oh, really Luce?  I guess I’m not supposed to be upset when I come home from a long deployment and I find my girlfriend on top of my roommate,” he responded. 

            Flynn was growing angrier with Wyatt by the second.  He knew what Wyatt walked in on must not have looked good, but he didn’t like how he was treating Lucy.  He lifted Lucy’s head off of his chest and stood up.  He was glaring directly at Wyatt, who was only a few feet from him. 

            “Call me a liar.  I promise you’ll regret it,” Flynn said.

            Wyatt took a step back.

            “Stop it! Stop it right now!” Lucy screamed.

            They both turned to look at her.  She was holding her head with one hand, still reeling from last night’s alcohol intake.  She walked between them forcing them further away from one another. 

            “Wyatt, do you really think I would do that to you?  Well, do you?” Lucy asked.

            Flynn was proud she was sticking up for herself.  Right now he seriously felt like snapping Wyatt’s neck, but that would upset Lucy.  Wyatt looked at her.  She was staring at him with this intense anger in her face that he had never witnessed before.

            “No.  I’m sorry Lucy,” Wyatt said as he put his arms around her. 

            He shot Flynn a dirty look over his shoulder.  Flynn couldn’t even look at him.  In his opinion, Wyatt’s behavior towards Lucy was unacceptable.  He didn’t want to make the situation any worse, so he just shook his head and walked back into his bedroom.  He could hear the two of them continue to argue as he shut his bedroom door.

 


	5. Fool In The Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jiya celebrates her birthday. Flufus banter. Flynn comes to Lucy's rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your great comments. I'm enjoying writing this and the next chapter is already a good way done, so hopefully it won't be as long of a wait as this one.

Things did not improve between Flynn and Wyatt over the next few weeks.  They both did their best ships passing in the night routine.  He felt like Wyatt was purposely taking Lucy out so much to avoid contact between the two of them.  He had sent Lucy a few texts to see how she was.  Her responses were polite, but terse and sterile.  He felt sick and utterly lost without her.  He wasn’t eating or sleeping right while Lucy was keeping him at a distance.  The separation from her was literally killing him slowly.  It was like a gale force wind came by and snuffed out the light in his life.  The aching that had plagued him since that fateful night he met her was worse than ever.  Probably couldn’t even describe it as an ache anymore.  A more apt description would probably be the searing burn from a thousand suns.  He didn’t know how much longer he was going to be able to live like this.  At least he could be around her before Wyatt’s untimely meltdown.  All he had since were those few text messages.  He didn’t want to upset her even more, so he maintained the space and boundaries Lucy had resultantly laid out.  He wouldn’t push her.  He just hoped she might come around sooner rather than later. 

It was Jiya’s birthday and they had all gone out for drinks to celebrate.  He was going to have to tolerate Wyatt for the night.  He would be civil for Jiya and Lucy’s sake.  At least he got to spend time with Lucy.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time, except Lucy.  She wasn’t upset, she just wasn’t herself.  She was muted and subdued, as if there was no fight left in her.  Broken, almost.  Gone was the sparkle in her eyes.   

She had brought her cousin with her to the bar.  She had just moved to the Bar Area from Texas and didn’t really know anybody.  Everyone else seemed to take to Jessica just fine.  They treated her like one of the gang.  Something bugged him about her.  He couldn’t quite put a finger on it.  He considered himself a good judge of character and a master of interpreting body language (except when it came to Lucy).  It was all second nature tradecraft from all his years as an NSA case officer.  Jessica was nothing like Lucy.  She was loud and slightly crass, but friendly and bubbly.  He would have to keep his eye on her.  Jiya noticed he was acting a little weird.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” she asked.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Flynn replied.

Jiya grabbed his arm, pulling him aside from the rest of the group. 

“Don’t give me that bull Flynn!  You’ve been pretending you’re fine for two weeks now.  There’s this weird tension going on between you, Lucy and Wyatt and you’ve been giving Jessica the side eye for the last hour,” Jiya declared. 

Before Flynn could answer her, Rufus joined them huddled together in the corner.

“What are you two spooks doing in the corner?” Rufus whispered.

Jiya and Flynn stared back at him with a look of horror on their faces.

“What?  That’s what they call you spy guys right?” he said.

Jiya breathed a literal sigh of relief.

“What?” Rufus asked again.

“I thought you just made a racial slur,” she said looking embarrassed. 

“Right, because the black guy is the first one you think of when you hear a racial slur," Rufus laughed.

Flynn smirked and chuckled.  “I think I’m starting to wear off on your boyfriend,” he said to Jiya.

“No seriously guys, what’s going on?” Rufus probed.

“Flynn thinks there’s something shady about Jessica,” Jiya blurted out.

“Why does that not surprise me?  Why does that surprise you?” Rufus stated like it was a strange statement to begin with.  “You know Flynn’s more Marvin from Red than James Bond.”

“Wyatt’s right.  You do watch too many movies,” Jiya snickered.

“Don’t worry,” Flynn said as he placed a hand on Rufus’ shoulder, “You can rest assured that you won’t catch me living in an underground bunker or carrying around a stuffed pig.”

“Like that’s the _only_ thing you could do to make me question your sanity any more than I already do?” Rufus said with a worried look on his face.

He _loved_ to mess with Rufus.  Jiya would tell you it was one of Flynn’s favorite pastimes.  He leaned in close to Rufus and whispered so Jiya wouldn’t be able to hear, “I’m more like Jason Bourne than the other two.  I could literally kill you with the contents of a Staples catalog.”

“You’re totally nuts, you know that right?” Rufus remarked.

Rufus put an arm around Jiya and led her back to the table, sneaking another worried look over his shoulder at Flynn.  He would without question ask Jiya later about whether Flynn was exaggerating or not. 

It was then that Flynn noticed Wyatt had left the table for a second.  Now was his chance to try to talk to Lucy.  He sat down next to her, but consciously didn’t crowd her space.

“Hi,” he said in an almost whisper.

“Hi,” Lucy responded as she put her head down slightly trying to avoid his gaze.

“Lucy, did I do something wrong?” he asked.

Lucy had that look of panic on her face that he had only seen one other time. 

“No, of course not,” she said in a hushed tone.  “It’s complicated and I’d just rather not get into it now if that’s okay with you.”

Flynn nodded his head.  He was crushed on the inside though.  She was letting Wyatt’s jealousy dictate her actions, her friendships, her feelings.  He saw Wyatt walking back towards the table so he moved to sit with Jessica.  At least he might be able to figure out what it was about her that had his spy senses on alert.   

“So, Jessica, what made you want to move here from Texas?” he asked.

“Well, I’m a bartender and there’s a lot more work up here than some small, west Texas town.  Plus, I never knew I had a girl cousin until Lucy found out about her biological father.  Figured I might try to make up for lost time with her,” Jessica explained.

“Where are you working at?” Flynn asked.

“Well, right now some neighborhood dive bar.  My car’s a piece of crap and I need to get it fixed so I don’t break down somewhere.  I’m still getting use to the area,” Jessica said.

“I’m no mechanic, but I can take a look at your car for you.  If you want me to, that is,” Flynn offered.

“I’ve got it Flynn,” Wyatt snapped.  “No one needs you to do anything.”

“I was just trying to be helpful,” Flynn responded.

“Yeah, aren’t you always the helpful one,” Wyatt answered as he rolled his eyes.

“I appreciate the offer,” Jessica said as she laid her hand over top of Flynn’s. 

                                                                                

A few days later, Flynn was leaving work and on his way home when his phone rang.  It was Lucy.

“Lucy, is everything okay?” he asked.

“Not really,” Lucy replied.  “My car won’t start. I’ve been trying to call Wyatt, but he’s not answering.”

“Where are you?” Flynn inquired.

“On campus.  I wouldn’t bother you but it’s getting late and this storm seems to be getting worse by the minute,” she answered.

“I’m on my way,” he responded.

When he arrived at Stanford, he found Lucy sitting in her car.  It was late so most of the parking lot was empty, apart from a few other cars.  He pulled into the spot directly next to Lucy’s car.  It was raining hard and steadily, so he put on his baseball cap and got out of the car.  There was no way to avoid getting wet at this point.  Lucy lowered her window as he approached.  He saw that sparkle in her eyes for a fleeting moment.  Flynn told her to pop the hood so he could take a look.  He had Lucy turn the key in the ignition and could hear the car cranking, but it wouldn’t turn over.  Unfazed by the rain pouring down his entire body, he shut the hood and walked back to the driver’s side window.  He would gladly get soaked to his skin just to be in Lucy’s orbit again.

“I think it’s your battery,” Flynn said.  “I can take you home tonight.  I’m sure Wyatt can take you to work tomorrow and then get a new battery.  And if he can’t for some reason, I’ll take you.”

Lucy just nodded her head, grabbed her purse from the front seat and got out of the car.  She locked the car, then sprinted to Flynn’s car in a vain attempt to keep dry.  She was drenched completely, hair clinging to her rosy cheeks with drops of water falling from it like the morning dew.  _Even waterlogged she was beautiful._   They sat in silence for a while as he drove towards Lucy’s house.  Then suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, Lucy turned to him. 

“Thank you for coming to my rescue.  I guess I would’ve had to Uber home if you didn’t answer your phone,” Lucy said.

“You’re quite welcome.  And you know you can always count on me Lucy.  If you need something, just give me a call,” Flynn added trying to sound casual.  _He would do almost anything she asked.  As bad as it sounded, he would kill for this woman._   Lucy smiled back at him.  It was the first time in a while he saw her smile. 

“Are you hungry?” Lucy asked.

“I could eat,” he responded.

“Good, cause I’m starving,” Lucy added. 

They stopped at the diner close to Lucy’s house.  They were both saturated, the biting chill lingered in their bones.  They started out with coffee to help ward off the frostiness they were experiencing.  Within minutes, they were talking and laughing like they had before Wyatt’s temper tantrum.  He had _his_ Lucy back, if only for a little while. 

“I’m sorry that things have been weird between us.  It’s all my fault,” Lucy blurted out of nowhere.

“Lucy, it’s not your fault.  _We_ did nothing wrong.  We fell asleep on a couch that’s barely big enough for me, let alone two of us,” Flynn replied.  “Wyatt was the one who was out of line.”

“I know, I know,” she answered.  “You know I don’t like conflict and will do anything to avoid it.”

“Lucy, you are a strong, independent, impressive woman and are more than capable of making your own decisions about who you befriend or not,” Flynn said.

“Where were you my whole life?  You’re always my biggest cheerleader,” Lucy laughed.

He wished he had known her that long.  Although, if he had, he probably would’ve blurted out his feelings for her when they were too young and not ready for a real life commitment.  He’d rather it had turned out this way.  He was unequivocally positive that fate had brought them together.  He was never so sure of anything in his life.  He didn’t even believe in fate before he met Lucy.  But some type of magic was being dealt here.  He had never fallen so hard, so fast and so completely for a woman, ever!

They had almost finished eating their dinner when Lucy’s phone rang.  She looked down at it with annoyance. 

“It’s Wyatt.”

“You going to answer it or make him sweat?” Flynn asked.  Personally, he’d make the idiot sweat. 

“Hello.  That was almost two hours ago, _Wyatt_.  I found another way home, so you don’t have to worry,” Lucy yelled.

Flynn was proud of her.  She was taking him to task with the precision of a sharpshooter.

“Well _maybe_ if my boyfriend had bothered to answer one of my _four_ phone calls, I wouldn’t have needed to bother a friend,” she added.

_Good, give it to him.  He deserves it._  

“You know what, I really don’t want to hear it Wyatt!” Lucy said as she hung up the phone.

Her face was a deep, crimson hue.  She slammed her phone down on the table.

“Atta girl, Lucy,” he said.

“I’m sorry if this causes any more problems for you at home,” she replied.  “He’ll probably figure out that I called you.”

“Is that a problem?  You want me to lie?” Flynn asked.

“No, absolutely not!  He’s just going to have to deal with it,” Lucy stated firmly.

“So, why didn’t he answer any of your calls?” Flynn questioned.

“Apparently, he was working on Jessica’s car in Dave’s garage and couldn’t hear his phone over the radio and banging of tools,” Lucy answered rolling her eyes. 

Flynn just shook his head.  _He clearly did not deserve her, but Wyatt deserved her even less_.

“I mean, I know he loves to tinker with cars, I don’t begrudge him that.  But it was an emergency.  I needed him and he wasn’t there for me,” she lamented.  _Not like you were._  

They finished the remnants of their respective meals and continued on their way to Lucy’s house.  He purposely drove slower than normal so he could prolong the ride.  He had missed her desperately and would take any extra second he could obtain.  It had become more difficult than ever to keep his eyes on the road.  The way she would smile back at him from the passenger seat was heavenly.  Then, the next thing he knew, they had arrived at Lucy’s house. 

“Thank you again,” she said as she opened the car door.

“Anytime, Lucy,” he replied.

He didn’t know what else to say.  They stared at each other, apparently both now suffering from an inability to force words out of their mouths. 

“Yeah, okay, um,” Lucy stammered as she awkwardly hung half in the car and half out. 

“You call me if you need me,” he said.

Lucy shook her head in response and shut the door, disappearing up her steps and into the house. 

                                                                             

When he got home, Flynn didn’t even have the opportunity to completely shut the front door before Wyatt was in his face. 

“You were with Lucy, weren’t you?” Wyatt accused.

“If you’re asking if I went to pick up your _‘so-called’_ girlfriend who was stranded, then yes, I was _with_ Lucy,” he responded.

“What do you mean ‘so-called’ girlfriend?” Wyatt said.

“Because if she was a _real_ girlfriend, you would’ve answered your phone and come to her rescue. You wouldn’t try to control her life, her choices, her friends.  Instead, you treat her like she’s something you own,” Flynn stated back.

Wyatt was exasperated.  _How dare Flynn_. 

“Oh, my God,” Wyatt said as he ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t believe it.  You’ve got a thing for Lucy! That’s what this is all about,” Wyatt answered with a smirk.

“I do not have a _thing_ for Lucy,” he answered. 

“Oh, yes you do!  Stay away from her.  I mean it,” Wyatt threatened.

“You know she has her own brain, right?” Flynn mocked. 

“Just stay away from Lucy,” Wyatt repeated.

“And if I don’t?” Flynn responded.

Wyatt was seething. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to punch Flynn in the face. 

“I’m sure I could come up with something,” Wyatt snapped back, unable to think of anything specific off hand. 

Flynn just laughed and walked into his room.  He needed to find a new place to live pronto. 

 


	6. Moonlit Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the best of times and worst of times for Lucy.

Two weeks after her car broke down, Lucy’s luck had begun to change. She had just received the most satisfying, amazing news of her professional career.  She had made tenure.  Everything she had worked so hard to accomplish had come to fruition. With her excitement unable to be contained, she called Amy and told her the good news.  Naturally, Amy was both proud and happy for her big sister.  She just wished she could be there to celebrate with Lucy, but she lived in New York now.  Lucy wanted to revel in her good fortune.  She decided she would go to the liquor store and buy a nice bottle of champagne for her and Wyatt.  She was going to let loose tonight.  It was as if the anvil had been lifted off of her chest and she could finally breathe. 

Lucy decided she wanted to get dressed up and paint the town red.  She was going to drag Wyatt along whether he wanted it or not.  She barely remembered the remainder of her drive home.  She felt literally as high as the clouds, like she had floated home on a magic carpet.  When she got home, she rummaged through her closet to find her slinkiest black dress and black stiletto pumps.  Lucy had thrown caution to the wind and was determined to live dangerously tonight. 

The adrenaline pumped through her veins as she got closer to Wyatt’s apartment.  Tonight was going to be epic, even if it killed her.  She parked her car and took a last look in the rear-view mirror at her makeup.  After a quick reapplication of her lipstick, Lucy exited her car, holding the champagne bottle in her left hand.  She scurried up the path and practically bounced up the stairs.  She used her key to open the door and went inside.

                                         

Flynn had a bad feeling the entire day.  It wasn’t emanating from anything specific, but instead was a general sense of dread. 

“Something wrong?” Jiya asked.

“Don’t know.  I’ve had this haunting sense of impending doom all day.  Like something bad is going to happen,” he replied.

“Well that sounds ominous,” Jiya said.

“I hope it’s nothing.  I’ve only ever experienced this once before, and the outcome was not good, to put it mildly,” he elaborated.

“Yeah, not ominous at all Agent Flynn,” she responded with a furrowed brow. “Oh, and would you stop telling Rufus you could murder him with a stapler please?  He made me promise to never leave him alone with you. He’s scared to death you’re just going to snap one day,” Jiya laughed.

“Jiya, you can’t ask me to stop.  I’m having way too much fun.  He needs to lighten up a bit,” Flynn answered.

“Well, I hope you have a good night despite you’re creepy feeling,” Jiya said as she grabbed her jacket off her chair. 

“You too,” Flynn replied.

He really hoped he was just overreacting.  Or perhaps the universe had decided to provide a warning that this would be the day he and Wyatt would come to blows.  He remained vigilant throughout the rest of his day.  The feeling was becoming worse by the minute.  His thoughts drifted to Lucy.   _Is Lucy okay? Please let her be okay_. 

The closer he got to home, the more intense this sense of dread had become.  Something was definitely _very_ wrong.  When he pulled into the parking lot, everything looked normal around the apartment complex.  Mrs. Alvarez was sitting in her normal watchdog perch on her front porch.  She waved to him as he exited the car.  He had waited all day to get this monkey suit off of him. His tie felt like boa constrictor that had slowly compressed his neck to an inch of his life.  He had made it halfway up the front walkway when he saw Lucy walking towards him.  He didn’t notice how upset she was at first, because he literally stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her in that dress.  She had almost walked into him, when he finally noticed her red eyes, her cheeks streaked with lines of hot tears.

“Did you know about this? Lucy demanded.

“Know about what, Lucy?” he answered completely puzzled.

The next thing he knew, the front door shot open and Wyatt flew out, shirtless and sweaty, in pursuit of Lucy. 

“Lucy, I’m sorry.  I’m sorry,” Wyatt begged.

Flynn was completely lost.  He had no idea what had happened, but it didn’t look good.  _What had this idiot done now?_

Wyatt grabbed at Lucy’s arm, but she shrugged him off. 

“Don’t touch me.  Don’t ever touch me again!” she screamed. 

With the champagne bottle gripped in her hand like a cobra ready to strike, Lucy lunged at Wyatt.  Flynn instinctively stepped in front of her.  He didn’t know what Wyatt had done, but he protected Lucy at all cost.  Wyatt attempted to step to the side of Flynn to speak to Lucy, but Flynn just blocked him.  He felt Lucy’s hand pressed into his back as she sought his protection.  She sobbed uncontrollably. 

“It just happened, Luce.  We never meant to hurt you,” Wyatt pleaded.

Lucy cried so hard, she gasped for air.  Wild-eyed and frantic, Wyatt stood there speechless.  Flynn’s train of thought broke from movement at the front door of the apartment.  He looked up and found Jessica standing there, in nothing but Wyatt’s flannel shirt.  The severity of the situation struck him like a derailed locomotive.  _You have got to be kidding me.  With her cousin?_ _How much lower could you get?_

“What’s with all this racket?” Mrs. Alvarez shouted from her porch.

“It’s taken care of,” Flynn shouted back.

Mrs. Alvarez had snapped him back into reality. He analyzed the scene quickly, then turned slightly and placed his hand on Lucy’s arm.  He threaded his arm around hers and gently led her towards his car.  He needed to get her out of there, _now_! 

“Lucy, I’m so sorry,” Jessica yelled as Flynn opened the car door and helped Lucy inside.  She had stopped crying at this point and was now utterly expressionless, as she stared off into space.  Flynn started the car and peeled out of the parking lot.  He needed to get her away from that mess as soon as possible. 

“Should I take you home?” he asked.

“No,” Lucy commanded.

Her cell phone rung off the hook for the next few minutes.  Finally, annoyed and irate at the constant noise, she reached into her small black purse and opened the passenger side window.  Flynn grabbed her hand before she threw the phone.  He took the phone from her hand and she acquiesced immediately.  He turned the phone off and put it in his jacket pocket. 

“If you don’t want to go home, is there somewhere you want me to take you instead?” Flynn questioned.

“Just drive,” she replied.

She was in shock.  Who wouldn’t be?  He can’t even imagine the scene she must’ve walked in on.  Poor Lucy.  He wanted to strangle Wyatt with his bare hands for hurting her.  And Jessica, he _knew_ there was something up with her.  How could she have done that to her own cousin?  He wanted to make it better for her, but how could he?

                                                             

Lucy stared straight ahead, numb to everything but the vivid, awful memories that swirled around her head.  It had started out as a fantastic day.  She had made tenure and obtained a life-long dream; all of which were now distant memories.  She had never suspected that Wyatt had cheated on her, let alone with her own cousin.  Her brain was unable to process this paradox or much else in its current state.  _Thank God, Garcia showed up and got me out of there._ She wasn’t sure what she would’ve done or said if he hadn’t.  She’d had a terrifying suspicion that the bottle of champagne would have wound up busted over Wyatt’s head.  Flynn’s presence comforted her, allowed her to breathe and calmed her down.  _Her white knight, always perched to swoop in and save her from whatever disaster awaited around the corner_.  Lucy clutched the bottle in her hands with an iron grip as she imagined the bottle was one of their necks. 

They had driven for over an hour, when the fog cleared in Lucy’s brain.  She felt Flynn’s gaze on her as he snuck glances over at her.  She hadn’t wanted him to pity her.  But when she turned and looked at him, pity was not what she saw.  Caring and concern were the only emotions written across his face.  They had remained silent for most of the ride, as he sensed Lucy was not exactly up for conversation.

“I don’t mean to pry, but is there a specific reason you’re so dressed up tonight?” he asked as he broke the uncomfortable silence.  “Not that you don’t usually look….look good.”

Lucy managed a slight smile in return.  “I planned to go out and celebrate.  I got some momentous news today,” she responded.

“Oh yeah?” Flynn answered intrigued.

“I’ll make you a deal.  Take me somewhere we can drink this in peace,” she said as she held the bottle up in her hand to show him.  “I’ll gladly tell you all about it.”

Flynn nodded his head in agreement.  It wasn’t as good as vodka in her book, but at least she would be able to drown her troubles for the remainder of the night.  He turned off on a dark, desolate, winding road.  Lucy was glad she trusted him and secretly prayed he wasn’t some sort of deranged serial killer.  Well, she hoped.  She questioned whether she knew anyone at all after this entire debacle with Wyatt and Jessica.  _But Garcia had never given you any cause to doubt him, so don’t start now._   The trees crowded the road they were on and triggered a claustrophobic reaction in her.  She gripped the bottle tighter as her breathing slowed.  She prayed they would arrive at their destination soon.   

                                                           

He wracked his brain about where they could go.  He needed to find a place where they wouldn’t be disturbed.  Lucy had already been through enough tonight.  He needed to find a place sooner rather than later, as she had begun to pick at the tin foil on the top of the champagne bottle. 

The car chugged up a steep hill and Flynn turned into a small, secluded parking lot.  Lucy looked around trying to figure out where they were. 

“The beach?” she asked surprised.

“No one will bother us here this late at night,” he responded.  “And if someone tries to, I’ll just pull out my NSA credentials and tell them it’s a matter of national security.”

Lucy looked at him and he tried to maintain a straight face, but caved.  She shook her head as she laughed heartily. 

“You wouldn’t?” she questioned.

He didn’t answer her, he just smirked back like the Cheshire Cat.  He opened the car door and went around the other side to help Lucy.  She took the hand he had offered and pulled herself up.  Flynn took the bottle out of her hand.  The parking lot consisted of gravel which was not conducive to walking in heels.  She grabbed onto his arm to steady herself as he guided her towards the beach.  Once they had reached the edge of the parking lot, Lucy stopped abruptly.  She grabbed onto his arm and dug her fingernails into him, as she hopped on one foot to remove her heels.  She lost her balance and crashed into his side. He grabbed onto her waist as he laughed at how uncoordinated she was.  Having managed to successfully remove her shoes, they walked down the beach until they found an area with a few large piece of driftwood and sat down.

In the middle of the driftwood logs, the remainder of prior fires could be seen, with old burnt twigs and logs in a heap of ash.  Flynn set the bottle down in the sand next to him and turned to Lucy.  She had her eyes closed with her chin tilted slightly upward as she breathed in the cool, salty, ocean mist that sprayed up from the waves.  The moonlight shone brightly over the water and left a silver, glittery shimmer over the surrounding area.  The stars twinkled like a million brilliant diamonds in the ebony night sky.  It was a perfect early autumn night and the cool ocean breeze wholly embodied the seasonal change.  Lucy was as beautiful as ever, even with her smeared mascara, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.  And that dress.  It had tested the levels of his self-control since he first saw her tonight.  Tight and form-fitted, it accentuated every curve of her body, yet left enough to the imagination that it kept him intrigued.  When he looked at her, his eyes momentarily became fixated on the modest amount of cleavage the dress exposed.  Every testosterone fueled instinct in his brain beckoned him to envelope her in his arms, press her into the sand and make love to her as the waves crashed around them.  But he respected Lucy way too much to ever do that to her; respected women in general too much to _ever_ do something like that. 

Conversation.  He needed to speak to her to refocus his brain from ogling her like a prehistoric caveman.  As if fate decided to nudge this along on its own accord, the champagne bottle fell over and hit his leg as it fell to the sand.  He picked it up and held it up to Lucy’s line of sight, which broke whatever train of thought she had been mired in for the last several seconds. 

“Ah, yes please,” Lucy begged.

Flynn popped the cork and handed Lucy the bottle.  She stared at it for a second, then took a huge swig.  They didn’t have glasses, but she did say she was going to live dangerously tonight, so straight bottle drinking it was.

“So, what was this great news you got today?” Flynn asked.

“I made tenure,” Lucy replied as she took another huge gulp.

“That’s fantastic Lucy!  Congratulations,” he responded with a smile ear to ear. 

_Should you hug her?  Would that be okay or would she recoil from his touch?_ She leaned closer and he went for it.  He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. She hadn’t recoiled when he hugged her, she squeezed back even harder.  She held onto him for longer than normal, then pulled back as she reinstituted the space between them.

                                                               

Lucy could visibly see how proud Flynn was of her.  She gulped down more champagne and passed him the bottle. The effects of the alcohol coursed through her veins faster than a speeding bullet.  The cool breeze that had been tolerable earlier, surged now to a cold chill.  She rubbed her bare arms in response.  Flynn noticed this, took off his jacket and placed it over Lucy’s shoulders.  _Always the gentleman, even when she secretly did not want him to be._   He had started to gather spare wood strewn along the beach to make a fire.  Lucy watched him intently and found it hard to dislodge the carnal thoughts that whirled around in her head.  _She was attracted to him, there was no doubt._ She had suppressed those feelings for him before, but now that she was encumbered, all bets were off.  Lucy knew that she wasn’t ready to jump head on into another relationship, but she wanted to know if there was the possibility of a future with him. 

Flynn ignited the fire and she felt the intensity of the flames, as they warmed her body and heart.  Uninhibited by alcohol and fueled partly from lust and partly from revenge, Lucy decided to test the waters and see what type of reaction she could provoke.  She stood up suddenly, which in hindsight was not the best idea, as she swayed slightly trying to maintain her balance.  She sauntered towards the water’s edge as she shot glances over her shoulder back at him, in her ridiculous attempt to look seductive.  She had intended to splash around a little in the water, but shrieked loudly when the icy water touched her feet.  _Could you be any more awkward Lucy?_  

Flynn chuckled out loud and Lucy rushed back to where he was seated.  As she rounded the fire, she tripped over her feet and landed with an audible thump on the log.  She scooted closer to him and feigned still being cold so he would put his arm around her.  She nestled into him and titled her head up to look in his eyes.  _Kiss him, just do it._   She slid her hand up to his cheek and pulled him down to within an inch of her lips.  His tongue darted out slightly, a reflex she had noticed before, and the one thing, if she was being honest with herself, which drove her absolutely wild.

“Kiss me,” she whispered softly.

“Lucy,” Flynn responded, not quite sure his imagination hadn’t conjured some new fantasy.

“Kiss me,” she repeated as she slurred her words.

She searched his face for a response to her request.  She didn’t see disgust or anything that resembled it.  She thought she had detected desire in his eyes. 

“Is that what you really want?” he whispered back.

She nodded her head emphatically.

He grabbed her face with both hands.  She closed her eyes in response.  He leaned down and pressed a kiss forcefully to her forehead.  She groaned.  Not what she had in mind at all.  She smiled at his playfulness and rested her head in the crook of his neck.  As he was unable or unwilling to budge, she decided she wouldn’t press her luck any further tonight. The last thing her conscious psyche remembered, was watching the sunrise in his arms.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. This should have been posted yesterday (blame my boss). It's a long chapter (sorry again), but my fingers just kept on typing as this chapter wrote itself. Apparently, I like to torture poor Lucy, but I promise, these two will get together, eventually.


	7. Meet Me In...Berlin?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another obstacle is thrown Flynn and Lucy's way.

The glare from the morning sun that reflected off the waves woke Flynn the next morning.  He noticed that the fire had gone out and somehow he and Lucy wound up on the sand, bodies intertwined like the snakes on a caduceus.  Lucy was still fast asleep in his arms.  He dared not move her as he desperately wanted to prolong this feeling.  His heart stopped when she asked him to kiss her last night.  It was all he’d thought about since the moment they met.  But she had just broken up with Wyatt, in the most traumatic kind of way, and he refused to be her revenge or rebound.  That might have killed him even more than never being with her at all.  He needed to wait.  Lucy was more than worth it.

His head was thumping, so he could only image what kind of shape Lucy would be in.  All of sudden, he heard his phone buzz and needed to check to make sure it wasn’t work.  Long arms definitely came in handy as he maneuvered his body to reach the jacket pocket, without jostling Lucy.  He had two new voice messages from an unknown number and three others from Wyatt.  He extricated himself from Lucy’s body as best as he could without unsettling her.  The messages from the unknown number were from Lucy’s sister, Amy.  Worried because Wyatt had called her, she was panicked that she had been unable to get ahold of Lucy all night.  He walked a short distance down the beach away from Lucy and returned Amy’s call.  Amy informed Flynn that she was already at the airport and had booked a flight home to be there for her sister.  She thanked him for taking such good care of Lucy.  _Always_.  _He would always be there for her_. 

He noticed Lucy stirring.  She squinted and looked around confused at where she was. 

“Good morning,” he said with a smile. 

“Hmmm,” Lucy murmured as she held her head in both hands. 

“Come on,” he said helping her to her feet.  “I’m sure coffee sounds as good to you as it does to me right now.”

“Hmmm,” she muttered again.

They held onto each other as they walked back to the parking lot.  Once they hit the gravel, Lucy stopped. 

“Why the hell did I have to wear heels?” she asked as she tried to put on her shoes.

Barefoot on the beach was one thing, but she wouldn’t be able to walk to the car like that.  Her brain moved at the pace of a sloth as a result of her hangover, so it took her a second to process that her legs were no longer firmly planted on the ground.  He lifted her into his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her to the car bridal style.  A few early morning beachgoers were already gathered in the parking lot, which caused them to receive more than their fair share of huffed remarks and circumspect looks. 

They stopped for coffee on the way to Lucy’s house.  As he pulled into her driveway, she turned to him in a panic.

“My car!  It’s still at the apartment,” Lucy yelled.

“Give me your keys.  I will get your car here.  You just go in and rest,” Flynn answered. 

“Thank you,” she sighed.  “For everything.  I owe you.”

             _________________________________________

For the next two days, Flynn spent most of his time moving his stuff out of the apartment a little at a time.  Jiya had a spare room, and much to Rufus’ chagrin, she offered it to Flynn.  He knew Rufus wouldn’t be happy about it, but if he got near Wyatt, things would definitely have gotten ugly, well, uglier than they had already been.  He knew Lucy was in good hands with Amy visiting and made sure he checked in periodically with her.  She was still hurt from being betrayed, but he didn’t hold that against her.  She wouldn’t be human if she wasn’t devastated by what happened. He held onto the hope that something might happen between them in the future when Lucy was ready.  She obviously wasn’t repulsed by him when she asked him to kiss her.  As much as he wanted to, he knew she wasn’t ready.  _Patience is a virtue.  Be patient with her.  She’s worth the wait_. 

“So,” Jiya said as she sat on the edge of his desk, “Word around the office water cooler is that you put in for a permanent transfer to the San Fran office.  Your globetrotting days over?”

“Fingers crossed,” he replied.  “But you know how it goes.  I have to see Agent Christopher in a little bit.  Maybe she has some good news.”

“So, what brought this on?  I thought you were a gypsy or whatever,” Jiya joked.

He got up out of his chair, checked down the hallway to make sure no one was coming and shut the door.

“Can you keep a secret?” he asked.

“Of course!  What is it?” Jiya asked with a childish grin.

He took her right hand in both of his and leaned in closer to her. 

“It’s you Jiya.  I’m madly in love with you and my secret plan is to slowly wear you down so you dump the nerd king and date me,” Flynn said totally straight-faced.

Jiya stared at him bug-eyed for a few moments.  She looked directly into his eyes and then they both burst out laughing.  Jiya laughed so hard she was doubled over. 

“See, you have to stay.  Who else can make me laugh like that?  And with all these stiffs around here, laughter maintains my sanity,” Jiya stated.

“You sure?  That’s not what your psych profile says,” he chuckled.

“Ha, ha, Agent Flynn.  Plus, if you left, who would torment Rufus?” she asked.

Flynn smirked.  “Well, let me get down there and see what’s up.”

“Good luck,” Jiya yelled down the hall after him.

As he walked down the hall, Flynn was really hoping Agent Christopher would have good news for him.  He had applied for the transfer over two months ago, when it became apparent to him that proximity to Lucy was paramount.  He knew it was a long-shot, the NSA was not exactly known for letting capable operatives choose a home base.  But he also knew he wouldn’t be able to stay in the field much longer at his age.  Better to go to the desk job of his choosing now, then wherever the hell they’d send him later.  He knocked on Agent Christopher’s door.

“Have a seat Agent Flynn,” she stated.

He closed the door and took a seat opposite her desk. 

“I’ve got good news and bad news.  Which do you want first?” she asked.

“Rip the Band-Aid off.  Bad news first,” he answered.

“Bad news, we’ve got a major problem in Berlin.  Good news, you’re going to clean up this mess for us,” she declared.

Flynn groaned audibly.  “What now?  Do those people have any damn idea what they’re doing over there?” he replied.

“You’re going mole hunting, Agent Flynn.  Of course, no one knows that so you’ll be transferred officially and you’ll have a full caseload to handle.  Just another CIA grunt, ok?” she told him.

“CIA?  They can’t clean up their own mess?” he griped.

“Apparently not, since you and Jiya were the only ones who made the connection that the leaks were coming from Berlin,” she remarked.

“You realize none of that was good news, right?” Flynn questioned.

“The good news, _Agent_ , is if you find this mole, not only will the transfer back here go through faster than your head can spin, but you’ll be promoted to Deputy Chief of Station,” she declared.

“What?  Denise, are you leaving?” he asked with concern. 

“Who do you think’s going to be the new Chief of Station, Agent Flynn?  And I can think of no one better to be my deputy,” she answered with a grin.

He chuckled slightly, then got up, shook her hand and walked to the door.

“When do I leave?” he asked as her lingered in the doorway.

“O eight hundred tomorrow,” she replied.

He walked back to his office and shut the door. _Berlin.  Damn it.  He better find this CIA mole fast, because that’s way too far from Lucy.  Five thousand plus miles.  He finally thought maybe, maybe something might happen.  And now he had to leave her, in order to get back to her, permanently.  It would be worth it in the end.  But how the hell is he going to tell her?_

___________________________________________

After work, Flynn drove over to Lucy’s.  He had to tell her tonight, since he was leaving in the morning.  Amy answered the door.

“Let me guess, you must be Garcia,” she stated with a smile. 

“Yes. It’s nice to finally meet you.  I’ve heard a lot about you,” he responded.

“Don’t believe any of it!” she answered ushering him into the house.

He went into the house and found Lucy sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in her hands.  She had sweatpants and a sweatshirt on and no makeup.  She had definitely looked better, but she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. 

“Lucy, how are you?” he asked nervously.

“ _Super_ ,” Lucy responded sarcastically taking another sip of her wine.  “Did you get all your stuff moved into Jiya’s?”

“Uh, yeah.  My stuff’s there, although I won’t be,” he answered hesitantly.

“What?” Lucy questioned.

“I just found out I’m being reassigned,” he replied.

“What? Where?” she asked with a look of panic in her eyes.

“Berlin,” he answered.  “But it’s only temporary.  The sooner I finish my assignment, the sooner I will be able to come back.”

“How… How long will that take?” she asked as tears began to well up behind her eyes.

The look on her face told him _everything_.  She looked lost and he compounded it by leaving her too.  Lucy would be alone.  She would have Jiya and Rufus, but that was complicated as well.  Rufus and Wyatt had become good friends and Rufus was also friends with Lucy.  Jiya was also friends with Wyatt, but she made her loyalties known.  _She_ was team Lucy. 

“Lucy, I have no way of knowing.  I can’t really get into it, you know, national security and all,” he explained. 

“Oh,” Lucy replied as she shrunk down further into the couch.

_God, no.  You’ve just done the one thing that you swore you’d never do.  You hurt her._

“I’m sorry, Lucy.  I know the timing is awful,” he said bashfully.

Amy had eavesdropped most of their conversation from the kitchen.  She must have sensed the same thing that he did, because she came into the living room and sat down besides Lucy.  Lucy looked down and he could see the single tear that ran down her cheek.

“Well, I’ll miss you,” she said as she looked back up at him.

__How am I ever going to do this?  I haven’t even left yet._ _

“I’ll miss you too,” he answered in a half-whisper.  “But there’s this new invention, it’s called a phone and…”

Lucy smiled and threw one of the throw pillows from the couch at him. 

“You see?  You see what I have to put up with Ames?” Lucy said as she turned to her sister.

“I don’t know what you’re bitching about,” Amy replied.  “ _That_ ,” she said as she titled her head toward Flynn, “is a problem I’d put up with any day of the week.”

“Amy!” Lucy yelled mortified.

Flynn laughed. It was good to see Lucy come out of her funk, and if he and Amy could provide the entertainment to make that happen, so be it.

“Well, Garcia may be going, but guess whose moving back home?” Amy asked with a smirk on her face.

“Really?  I thought you liked New York,” Lucy stated.

“I do, but I miss it here.  I miss you.  Even Mom,” Amy answered.

He felt so much better knowing Amy would be here for Lucy.  She would have someone after all. 

“Lucy, I have to get going, but I’ll call you soon, okay?” he said.

Lucy just nodded her head.  He got up and walked towards the door. 

“Garcia!” Lucy called loudly. 

He turned so fast he almost lost his balance.

“Be careful,” she said softly.

“Always, Lucy,” he replied.

Amy walked him to the front door as Lucy wasn’t moving from her nest of blankets and pillows on the couch. 

“Thank you for being such a great friend to my sister,” Amy said.

__He just smiled back.  He wasn’t sure how to respond.  He _was_ her friend, but he wanted to be so much more.  _ _

____________________________________________ _

The tears flowed from Lucy’s eyes the minute Flynn shut the door. 

“Lucy… Lucy what’s wrong?” Amy asked as she sat back down on the couch.

“Everyone’s leaving me.  I just feel so alone,” she answered.  “I thought I had Wyatt and he left.  I thought I would have Garcia and he left too.”

Amy hugged her sister tightly. 

“Lucy, to be clear, Garcia didn’t purposefully _leave you_.  He has work obligations.  And what the hell is going on with the two of you anyway?’ Amy questioned.

“What do you mean?” Lucy asked with a slight bit of panic in her voice.

“You know what I mean.  Are you and he, you know, involved?” Amy said.

“Amy, I just broke up with Wyatt.  I’m not ready to date anyone.  Plus, he’s like my best friend, next to you of course,” Lucy explained.

“Friends date all the time.  Friendship is the foundation of any great relationship,” Amy stated as she gave Lucy a nudge with her elbow.

Lucy shook her head and took another sip of her wine.  She knew Amy meant well, but all this talk of her and Garcia wasn’t helping in the slightest.  He hadn’t even left yet and she missed him already.  She had come to rely on him recently and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to get through her mounting crises without him.  He comforted her and gave her strength, but most of all he just listened to her.  Sometimes, especially lately, she felt like he knew her better than she knew herself. 

“Garcia doesn’t think of me like that,” Lucy answered.

“Are we talking about the same guy?” Amy remarked.

Lucy just shot her a look. 

“He’s totally into you,” Amy declared.

“No, you’re wrong.  I made a fool out of myself one night by basically throwing myself at him.  I asked him to kiss me and he kissed me on the forehead,” Lucy responded.

“When was this?” Amy asked.

“The night we spent on the beach,” Lucy answered.

“Oh, you mean the same night you found out about Wyatt cheating on you?  Come on, Lucy.  What did you expect him to do?” Amy stated.

“I don’t know.  I don’t know anything anymore!” Lucy responded as the tears began streaming down her face again. 

Amy hugged her again until Lucy calmed down. 

“So….if you and he aren’t an item, you wouldn’t exactly mind if I tried to get with that then, when he comes back of course,” Amy asked.

“Amy!”

“I’m just kidding!  You should have seen your face.  You cannot deny that you like him,” Amy said.

“I’m not denying it. I’m just saying that the feeling is _not_ mutual,” Lucy explained.

Amy rolled her eyes in response.

“You just keep telling yourself that.  I’m not buying it for a second,” Amy stated firmly.

 


	8. The Months of Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Flynn struggle with their separation. Lucy receives a precious gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who have commented and left kudos. I truly appreciate it! Keep them coming. They're fuel to my muse.  
> If anyone has any ideas they want me to run with, feel free to message me.

Five thousand six hundred and fifty-four miles.  The distance between he and Lucy and the distance his heart had been stretched across.  When they had first met, he may have wanted the spell to be broken.  He never fell head over heels for _anyone_.  Now, he prayed the spell could be sustained across this great divide between them.  _How long before Lucy forgot him?_  

For the first two months he was in Berlin, he spoke to Lucy regularly.  She had slowly gotten over Wyatt, though there were some residual feelings of hurt still there.  Work kept him more than occupied with a full case load and his side investigation into the mole.  He thought of Lucy constantly.  _Where was she?  What was she doing?  Was she happy?  Did she miss him as much as he missed her?_   His soul ached in a way that was more painful than any injury he had ever sustained, on the job or otherwise.  He wasn’t sure how much longer this could be continued.  He _needed_ to be near Lucy.  He had considered on more than one occasion that this job was no longer worth it.  It had become too much for him to bear to be separated from her. 

He had caught a break during the third month of what he now referred to as his exile to Berlin. One of the assets he ran under his CIA cover had stumbled across some information that could potentially lead him to the mole.  Problem was, it would’ve placed his and his asset’s lives on the line in order to obtain it.  If he were compromised or caught, he would be exposed.  Not only would his chance to catch the mole be ruined, there was a one hundred percent chance he wouldn’t make it out of there alive.  He decided to risk it.  Anything to get him out of here and back to Lucy.  He felt like he had slept through his life, alone in a vast darkness for the last two months. 

For the next two months, Flynn had gone undercover as an arms dealer.  Contact with Lucy had been cut off for her own safety.  The men that he dealt with were dangerous.  It was not beneath them to go after loved ones of those that betrayed them.  He hated every second of it with every fiber of his being, but he had gathered a great deal of useful and incriminating evidence as a result.  At one point during the operation, he slipped up when he carelessly allowed the leader of a gang of neo-Nazis to see the one picture he had of Lucy on his burner phone. 

“That your girl?” the man asked with a little too much interest for Flynn’s liking.

“She _was_ ,” he answered gruffly.

He had to lie, lie like Lucy’s life depended on it.

“She dump you or something?” the man questioned.

“No. She died,” Flynn replied as he swallowed hard.

“Oh, sorry man,” the man stated as he intently watched Flynn’s face for signs he may not have been truthful. 

“Her name was Mika.  It happened six months ago.  She was killed by a drunk driver.  It’s the reason, I no longer drink,” Flynn explained. 

This worked to his advantage.  It permitted him to keep his guard up and obviated the need to socialize with them.  It also prevented these assholes from looking into Lucy and using her to get to him.  To have uttered the words that Lucy died nearly shattered him.  And to have no contact with her would be the final death knell.  His world unraveled around him.  It was as if someone had turned off the light in the world. 

____________________________________________________

The first two months were hard enough for Lucy.  She missed Flynn terribly.  So, she occupied her time and buried herself in her work and hung out with Amy, Jiya and Rufus.  But these last two months were unbearable for her.  No contact at all.  She felt abandoned, even though she consciously knew it wasn’t his fault.  He had tried to explain it to her without having given away state secrets.  She understood, but it didn’t mean she liked it.  Although, it forced her to rely on herself.  Little by little, she gained confidence and felt as if she could move forward with her life.  She was worried about Garcia though.  _Was he okay?  He had said this mission was dangerous.  What if something happened to him?  Would she even know?_ The unknown stressed her maddeningly.  _Is this what life with him would be like?  I’m not strong enough for that.  Probably for the best that nothing ever happened between us._   She tried to convince herself of this, but time and time again, her thoughts wandered back to him.  _Had she deluded herself?  He had never tried anything with her, even though he had ample opportunity to do so.  He’s just not into you._   

It was the first week of December.  She had previously imagined her and Flynn going out to get a Christmas tree.  She could picture him in her head as he insisted on chopping down his own out in the woods somewhere.  She chuckled to herself at the mental picture.  She kept doing this to herself.  She imagined different scenarios that they might have been in and it made her long for him.  Then she would get all depressed again as she missed him desperately, and she swore she needed to move on from this unrequited love. 

Early one December evening, Lucy had just finished a bit of Christmas shopping.  It was cold and had rained earlier which made the roads quite slippery.  Lucy had driven this route a thousand times before.  Her mind drifted to all the people she still needed to buy gifts for, when she suddenly hit a patch of black ice.  Her car swerved into the guard rail, which snapped and bent in a torrent of twisted metal before it gave way.  Her car plunged down a deep, dark ravine and hurtled her into the black abyss of the river below.  Her head slammed against the steering wheel and windshield and her body was tossed around like a ragdoll, even with her seatbelt on.  Before she had realized what happened, the water gushed into the car.  Panic spread through her body like a viper’s poison.  Her seatbelt was jammed and she couldn’t get the door or window open.  _You’re dead.  This is the end._   Her lungs filled with the thrashing water that surrounded her.  _Black.  Nothing._

Lucy woke up in the hospital, with Amy and _her mother_ by her side.  By some grace of God, a Good Samaritan saw her go off the road and pulled her from her car.  Luckily, that Good Samaritan happened to be a handsome doctor named Noah.  She had a concussion and two broken ribs, but she survived.  She survived.  Everything changed for Lucy after that.

So when said handsome doctor asked her out a week later, Lucy decided to let him take her to dinner.  She had never been more alone.  Amy told her that she needed to get back into the dating world.  She was no longer hung up on Wyatt, even though his and Jessica’s betrayal stung and most likely always would.  She knew there was no way she would be able to gauge how long Flynn would be in Berlin.  Would it really hurt to enjoy the affections of a man who was interested in her?  A man who was kind, good-looking and had a stable job.  Someone she could build a life with.  _Someone her mother would approve of._ Still, after all the hurt she had caused, Lucy still sought her mother’s approval. 

It wasn’t serious with Noah and she wasn’t sure it ever would be.  She wasn’t using him per se, but he was safe.  Lucy craved safe after the accident.  Safe and uncomplicated.  He was nice, he was good to her and he was….

“Boring,” Amy stated.  “He’s a snooze, Lucy.”

“He’s not that bad,” Lucy replied. 

“You have got to be kidding me!  It’s like you purposely went out of your way to find the dullest, uninteresting, mundane man you could find.  The polar opposite of Garcia and Wyatt,” Amy elaborated.

_Garcia_.  The mere mention of his name made her chest hurt and brought back all the fear and anxiety she carried around over him.  _Maybe he met someone in Berlin?_   _Maybe he was curled up by the fire enjoying a snowy Christmas with some German supermodel.  How could she compete with that?_

_\-----------------------------------------------_

Flynn’s loneliness peaked when December hit.  He felt like he had been sentenced to prison, but even that would have been preferable to this separation from Lucy.  At least if he’d gone to prison, Lucy could’ve visited.  If he hadn’t been stuck working undercover, Lucy could have visited.  Lucy.  Her name was a prayer on his lips at this point.  His wish upon all the stars in the universe. 

That night, he’d had a horrific nightmare about Lucy.  He’d woken up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, with that same sick feeling he’d had the night Lucy found out about Wyatt and Jessica.  A frenzied horror washed over him.  _What happened?_   He had never felt so absolutely helpless in his entire life.  He was a problem solver, someone who was reliable and got the job done no matter what.  A year ago his main purpose in life would’ve been the same patriotic drivel as any other intelligence official, to keep Americans safe.  But now, his main purpose was Lucy, to keep her safe. 

The next three weeks brought more of the same; nightmares about Lucy.  And there was nothing worse than being alone on Christmas.  At least Lucy had Amy.  He was happy that they were together.  He wanted to get Lucy something for Christmas and had planned to send it to Amy so she could put it under the tree for him.  But he had felt like he might’ve been being surveilled by the dirt bag Nazis he was selling guns to, so he decided against it.  He told them his woman had died.  Better to be on the safe side where Lucy’s safety was concerned. 

But when he passed a small jewelry store on his way home the night before Christmas, something in the window display caught his eye.  He quickly checked to see if he had been followed.  No one stood out and he was confident the reward was worth the risk.  The item in question that caught his eye was a gold antique locket.  He knew Lucy loved antique jewelry.  His gift would obviously be late for Christmas, but Lucy’s birthday was in January, so he would be early for that.  He bought the locket and made arrangements two days later to have it shipped to Lucy.  He wished nothing more than to be there to see her face when she opened the package.  If he closed his eyes, he could picture her in an open mouthed gasp, followed by one of her patented brilliant smiles.  Maybe she would ask him to help her put it on.  He would be so close.  It would take every ounce of will-power not to kiss her exposed neck as he clasped the necklace closed.  Whoever said that absence made the heart grow fonder was a complete moron.  Absence had caused his heart to ache in ways he never knew were possible. 

He had not prepared himself for how miserable he’d be a week later.  It was New Year’s Eve.  He should’ve been with Lucy, having rung in a new year with new possibilities.  Instead, he was stuck in Berlin, alone, frozen in some fair to middling apartment he had been provided.  His only saving grace was that Germans made damn good beer.  As he sat deserted in the small apartment, thoughts of Lucy turned to thoughts of panic.   _What if she was going out tonight?  Would some other man be kissing her at midnight?  Had she met someone in the last two months?  How long could she wait for him?  Would she wait at all?_

The thought of Lucy with another man was utter torture.  He could _not_ let his mind go back there.  It was bad enough when she had been with Wyatt right in front of his eyes.  Yet, he would never have met Lucy without Wyatt, unless fate had smiled upon him that morning when a beautiful, bewitching stranger rear-ended him instead.  So much would’ve been different if that had been the case.  They would be together, he was sure of that.  But the unknown was worse than anything and caused his imagination to run wild.  He’d changed his mind.  Utter torture was not having seen her at all for the last four months. Yes, it would’ve been torturous to witness her with someone else, but at least he could’ve been near her, in her orbit, and worshipped her from afar like he had been since the beginning. 

Lucy woke that morning and felt better than she had in months.  It was her birthday and Noah promised to take her to some swanky new French restaurant that all of his fellow doctors had raved about. She rolled out of bed, grabbed her robe, and went downstairs for some coffee.  Amy was already up.  Lucy poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the island in the kitchen.

“This came for you today,” Amy said as she handed her a package.

“Is it from Noah?” Lucy asked.

“I doubt it.  It’s from overseas,” Amy said sliding the package toward Lucy.

_Garcia_.  _He didn’t forget her birthday at least.  She had been so disappointed when she hadn’t heard from him at Christmas.  Apparently, he hadn’t forgotten about her after all._  

“Open it!” Amy yelled.

Lucy opened the outer packaging to find a perfectly wrapped blue box with a silver bow.  A small, white note card with her name on it had been lain on top.  She picked up the card and opened it.

“Well, what does it say?” Amy questioned.

“Lucy, I’m sorry I didn’t get this to you before Christmas.  Things here are more complicated than I anticipated, but I am making headway. I hope to be home soon.  In the meantime, I saw this in a little shop in Berlin and thought of you instantly.  I hope you have a fantastic birthday and that you are healthy, but most of all happy.  You deserve to have all of your wishes come true.  Happy Birthday.  Garcia.” (He had debated furiously over how to sign the card at length). 

She held the card in her hands a moment longer before turning to the small blue box.  She pulled at the silver ribbon and bow and opened the box.  Lucy was stunned at what she saw.  A beautiful, gold, antique locket with a gold chain to match.  Her jaw dropped open.  It was too much.  She held it up so that Amy could see it.

“Wow, that’s gorgeous,” Amy exclaimed.  “Garcia has good taste.”

“I…I can’t believe how beautiful it is.  How expensive this must have been.  I can’t accept this.  It’s too much!” Lucy declared.

“Yes you can and you will,” Amy replied.

It was the most amazing gift she had ever received.  Perfect in every way as if she had picked it out herself. 

“Can you help me?” Lucy asked as she held up the locket to her neck. 

Lucy swept her hair up as Amy locked the clasp in place.  Lucy turned to look at her sister.

“It’s perfect,” Amy stated.  “You should wear it to dinner tonight.”

Lucy stared at herself in the mirror.  It looked good on her. 

“I think I will,” Lucy replied.

She wore it out to dinner that night and received quite a few compliments from total strangers.  Noah asked if it was new, since he did not remember having seen it before.  Lucy explained that her friend Garcia had given it to her for her birthday.  Noah was intrigued as he had never heard Lucy mention him before. 

“Just a friend, huh?” Noah asked as he inspected the locket.

“Yes,” Lucy responded. 

Noah’s words tolled like a warning bell in her head.  He sounded jealous.  Wyatt had been jealous too and look where that led.  Plus, there was no sound reason he should be jealous of a man that wasn’t interested in her romantically. 

 


	9. Be Still My Jealous Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy's rebound relationship causes a ripple effect and fate attempts a course correct.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please refrain from yelling at me for this until you read the next chapter, which I am working on as we speak.

Flynn had gathered enough evidence to put the mole away for good and had sprung a trap to catch him.  The mission had been accomplished, but he took a bullet to the shoulder in the process.  Luckily, it hadn’t caused any major damage to his arm, but it required an extensive course of physical therapy.  Thankfully, that meant he was being transferred back to the San Francisco office.  Back to Lucy. 

He arrived in San Francisco late at night.  He had an appointment for a physical therapy evaluation in the morning, so he crashed on the couch at the office for a few hours.  He assumed he would still be welcomed at Jiya’s, but he hadn’t spoken to her in almost two months. 

After a few restless hours on the couch, he walked the few blocks to the university hospital where his evaluation was.  He wouldn’t be cleared for active duty until he completed therapy, so he wanted to get it started as soon as he could.  His physical therapist was a nice woman, probably slightly younger than him, whom he instantaneously bonded with since she was a former army medic.  He was strangely relaxed around her and it felt good being able to speak to another person who understood combat and their resultant wounds.  When he left the appointment, he accidentally bumped into a woman standing in the hospital lobby.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

The woman turned around and he almost fell to his knees.  _Lucy? Is he hallucinating from lack of sleep?_  

“Garcia!” she exclaimed once her brain processed the large man who stood next to her. 

Before he knew it, she had wrapped her arms around him and hugged him forcibly.  He winced in pain as she slammed into his bad arm.  Lucy pulled back when she felt him shift and looked at him in shock.  She apparently had missed the sling on his right arm when she first saw him.

“Oh, my God.  You’re hurt,” Lucy said with a concerned look on her face.

“It’s just a scratch.  I’ll be fine,” he responded nonchalantly.

“I didn’t know you were back.  Why didn’t you call me?” she asked.

The look on her face bludgeoned him right in the heart.  She genuinely looked upset that he hadn’t contacted her.

“I just got in late last night.  I was going to call you later today,” he answered.

He noticed she wore the locket he had bought her for her birthday.

“I take it you liked my gift?” he asked as he nodded his head towards the locket on her chest. 

“Yes!  I love it!  I wear it all the time.  Thank you so much,” Lucy exclaimed.

“I’m glad.  It looks….looks good on you,” he answered as he looked up at her through his eyelashes. 

Then, the fact that she was here, at the hospital, brought up a panic in him.

“Lucy, are you okay?  What are you doing at the hospital?” he implored.

“I’m here meeting….”

Just then a tall, dark haired man walked up to Lucy, put his arm around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss.

“My boyfriend,” Lucy stated as she finished her prior sentence.

For a second, his brain hadn’t processed what he just saw and what she just said.  _Her boyfriend_.  He felt like he was just shot all over again, except this time the bullet tore through his chest cavity and made it hard for him to breathe.  _You have got to be kidding me._

“Noah,” Lucy said as she turned to the man standing next to her with his hand still around her waist, “this is my friend, Garcia.  Garcia, this is my boyfriend, Noah.”

Flynn stuck his hand out to shake Noah’s.  He could not afford to look like a jerk in front of Lucy.  Noah met Flynn’s hand and he may have given it an extra bit of grip as he shook it.  It was as if each man had let the other know, in some unspoken way, that they were bitter rivals when it came to Lucy’s affections.

“Lucy, this is the same Garcia that bought you the locket for your birthday?” Noah asked as he turned back to her.

“Yes,” Lucy replied as she slightly blushed.

Flynn just beamed in response.  _That’s right.  You’re not prepared for the lengths I’m willing to go for Lucy._   The testosterone filled standoff was interrupted by a woman in scrubs calling Flynn’s name.

“Mr. Flynn,” she said.

He turned to see the woman who stood behind him.  It was his physical therapist, Lorena.

“I’m glad I caught you.  You forgot your keys,” she said as she handed them to him.

“Thanks.  I wouldn’t have made it very far without them,” he replied.

“No problem.  See you on Wednesday,” she answered as she turned to walk away.

Flynn noticed a flash in Lucy’s eyes as she heard Lorena.  _Is she jealous?  Why would she be jealous?_

“It’s a date,” he yelled back at Lorena. 

Lorena turned back around and smiled at Flynn.

____________________________________

_A date? Was he only joking or was he going out with her?_   Lucy tried her best to not have overtly reacted to Flynn’s comment, but a jealous streak ran through her like a bolt of lightning.  She glanced around nervously at both Flynn and Noah and vainly attempted to hide her feelings on the subject.  Noah definitely picked up on something, as Lucy felt his hand as it tightened around her waist.  But she had never been able to read Garcia very well at all.  Maybe it was his spy training, maybe it was she’d look at him and get lost in his green eyes and well….

She needed to extricate herself from this awkward situation immediately.  It certainly wasn’t fair to Noah to have just pined over a man she knew she could never have.  And yet, she thought she had picked up on something in Garcia’s eyes.  _Or are you just searching for things that aren’t there?_

Two weeks later, Lucy, Amy and Jiya decided to have a girls’ night out.  They chose to go to the little Italian restaurant near Jiya’s apartment.  The place had good food and even better wine.  They requested one of the out of the way tables toward the back, where they could be as loud as they wanted and wouldn’t disrupt anyone else. 

“Jiya, we need to find Lucy a new man,” Amy stated.

“Amy!” Lucy shrieked in horror.

Jiya just laughed.  “Not a fan of Captain Boring?”

“Captain Boring.  I love it.  I’m totally stealing that,” Amy responded.

“I don’t believe the two of you,” Lucy complained.  “He’s nice and sweet and intelligent and…”

“Boring!” Jiya and Amy replied in unison.

“I always thought you and Flynn would wind up together,” Jiya said.

“See, I’m not the only one,” Amy answered as she stared at her sister.

“Why would you think that Jiya?” Lucy questioned.

“I don’t know.  Call me crazy, but you two just fit.  Like Rufus and I,” Jiya said as she shrugged her shoulders.

“We’re just friends,” Lucy stated again.

“I told Lucy I’m going to lock the two of them in a room until they just make out and get it over with,” Amy responded as she rolled her eyes.

“Maybe we should,” Jiya laughed.  “Although, I’m not sure that my big, big boss would appreciate it if I locked him in a room.”

“What do you mean, your boss?” Lucy inquired.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you?  He got promoted to Deputy Chief of Station.  Berlin was his last field op. Well, he’s not back to work yet, but as soon as he is, he’ll be my big, big boss,” Jiya explained.

“What?  What do you mean he’s not back to work yet?” Lucy questioned.

“Lucy, he got shot.  Even though he’s now at a desk job, he still needs to be able to fire his gun.  Until he can, he can’t come back,” Jiya answered.

“Shot?  He told me he was fine and it was just a scratch!” Lucy bemoaned.

“Well it wasn’t,” Jiya responded.

_Why didn’t he tell her?  She knew things had been weird between them since he returned, since he met Noah.  But he never mentioned that he was shot or any promotion to a desk job._  

“How is he really then?” Lucy asked concerned.

“Not sure.  I haven’t seen him much in the last two weeks.  I know he’s been looking for his own place and he’s been going to therapy.  I just assumed he was with you the rest of the time,” Jiya said.

“I haven’t really seen him,” Lucy answered.

“Cause she’s been avoiding him,” Amy stated. 

“I have not,” Lucy responded defensively.

“Yes, you have.  I think you’re afraid you might act on your feelings when you’re sober,” Amy replied.

_Amy wasn’t that far off the mark._ She had spoken to Garcia, a lot, since he’d been back, but she hadn’t been alone with him.  She made every excuse and Noah seemed to be hovering a little too. 

“Speak of the devil,” Jiya said as she leaned closer to Lucy and Amy.  “Isn’t that Flynn over there in that booth?  Is he on a date?” Jiya gasped.

Lucy’s head snapped around as fast as Indiana Jones’ whip.  Sure enough, there was Garcia with the woman from the hospital. They were seated across from them at a table on the opposite side of the aisle.  They appeared to be having a good time.  Lucy was unable to contain the jealousy and envy which had built inside of her.  _Great.  He met someone.  Now there was no chance for them._   _But you had met someone too.  What if….?_

Somehow, his eyes met hers at that exact moment.  She stared back at him with a forlorn look.  He smiled back and kept her gaze.  Then he turned back to his dining partner as she placed her hand on top of his on the table.  Lucy swallowed hard and quickly turned away.  _This is torture seeing him with another woman._  

_____________________________________

He _knew_ she had seen him with Lorena.  He also knew she had completely misconstrued what she had witnessed.  They had only gone out to dinner as friends, although he had also gotten the impression that Lorena was interested in him.  Lucy had turned away so fast when she saw Lorena put her hand over his.  _Was she jealous?  This was the second time she reacted like that.  Is she pissed off at me or is she jealous?_   He was so confused. 

But if he could never be with Lucy, he needed to break the spell she had over him.  Lorena was beautiful, intelligent and funny.  Maybe, she would be the woman to help him break Lucy’s dominion over his heart.  Yet, he saw something in Lucy’s eyes and face that he had never seen before and it gave him hope. 

The next thing he knew, Jiya and Amy had appeared at the table.  Lucy stood behind them and fumbled with the hem of her jacket. She gazed at the floor and snuck peeks at Lorena every so often. 

“Hey Flynn,” Jiya said.  “You gonna introduce us to your date?”

He choked a little on his beer. 

“I’m Lorena,” she replied with a smile.

“I’m Jiya, this is Amy and this is Lucy,” Jiya responded as she pointed to Amy and Lucy in corresponding order. 

“Hi.  You were at the hospital the other week right?” Lorena asked Lucy.

“Yeah, that was me,” Lucy answered.

“I hope everything is alright,” Lorena responded.

“Oh, I’m fine now,” Lucy said.  “I was at the hospital meeting my boyfriend.”

“Lucy, what do you mean you’re fine _now?”_ Flynn asked with an alarmed tone.

“I just meant I don’t have any residual problems from the accident,” she replied.

“What accident?” he questioned, now in full panic mode.

“It was no big deal.  My car slid on ice.  I had a concussion and two broken ribs,” Lucy answered.

“No big deal!  Lucy, you almost died!  Her car plunged into the river and she almost drowned in addition to that concussion and two broken ribs,” Amy yelled.

“What? When?” he asked as his breathing became heavier.

Jiya, Amy and Lorena just gawked at the two of them.  He was so terrified at the thought that she almost died, it was as if he and Lucy were the only two people in the room.  _Why wouldn’t she tell him?  Why didn’t Jiya tell him?_  

“December,” Lucy responded curtly.

_December.  When he had nightmare after nightmare about her._

“Lucy, why didn’t you tell me?” he pleaded.

“Perhaps for the same reason you didn’t tell me you were shot!” Lucy yelled back.

_Touché._   _There was the Lucy he knew and loved.  The woman who was meek and mild when he first met her, but who had become a strong spitfire._   But she was angry with him.  _Angry_.  Lucy had never been angry with him before.  But her anger only prompted worry.  Worry that whatever was going on between them would never be fixed.  Worry that she’d walk out of his life for good. 

“Lucy…”

“I don’t want to fight with you.  Not now while you’re on a date.  It was nice meeting you, Lorena,” Lucy stated before she walked away.

Flynn just put his hands up in disgust as she walked away.  Amy apologized for her sister’s behavior and ran after her.  Jiya stood there for a moment, not sure of what to do or say.

“Flynn, don’t forget.  Next week.  St. Patty’s Day.  It’s going to be epic,” Jiya said before she turned and shuffled after Lucy and Amy.

“Do I want to know what just happened there?” Lorena asked.

“Honestly, I have no idea.  I’ve never seen Lucy like that before.  We never fight, we’re best friends,” Flynn answered.

_____________________________________

A week later, they had all planned to meet at their favorite bar for St. Patrick’s Day.  Jiya, Rufus, Lucy and Noah arrived first.  Jiya noticed that Lucy appeared distracted as she kept glancing back and forth from the bar to the door.  Lucy didn’t _want_ to appear so obvious.  She couldn’t help herself.  She knew Garcia was supposed to be there.  After a little reflection, Lucy realized that she had screwed up, and she really missed her friend.  She was really worried that she’d lose him to Lorena.  She had never been a jealous girl, but she was powerless when it came to him.  She wanted him to want _her._

The front door of the bar opened and she saw him.  And then she saw Lorena and her heart sunk.  If she was being rational and honest, she might have truly liked her, if she wasn’t with Garcia.  They sat down at the table with the rest of the group.

“Noah, you remember my friend, Garcia.  And this is his girlfriend, Lorena,” Lucy said.

“Yeah.  Locket man,” Noah grumbled.

Flynn glared back at him with the rage of a thousand rampaging bulls.

“Locket man?” Lorena questioned.

Lucy gave Noah a dirty look.  She knew that he said that purposefully loud enough for Lorena to have heard.

“Garcia bought me this beautiful locket for my birthday,” Lucy replied as she twisted toward Lorena and showed her the necklace. 

Lucy knew precisely what she was doing.  She had found a way to help break the discernible tension between Flynn and Noah, as well as land a well-placed jab to Lorena.  But Lucy’s momentary sense of victory was shattered as a familiar voice spoke from behind her.

“Hey guys!” Wyatt said.

Lucy’s skin crawled.  _Not tonight, not now._   And then she felt the second dagger pierce her heart.  Jessica.  Lucy had heard from Rufus that they had moved in together after Flynn left.  They were a constant walking reminder of betrayal.  Lucy tensed up and froze in place.  They were acting like everything should just be forgiven and forgotten.  She felt nauseated being near them.  Unable to bear it any longer, Lucy abruptly got up from the table and walked to the bathroom.  Noah continued to chat with Wyatt, Jessica and Rufus, completely unaware of Lucy’s reaction and departure.  Flynn sighed loudly and got up from the table to check on Lucy.  Noah hadn’t noticed when Lucy left, but he definitely did when Flynn got up to go after her.

“Is Lucy alright?” Noah asked.

“If you have to ask that question right now, you’re not the right guy for her,” Flynn declared as he walked away.

Lucy was in disbelief.  She was already pissed off that Garcia had brought Lorena.  Lorena hadn’t helped the situation by flirting mercilessly and touching him every chance she got.  And now, now she had to deal with Wyatt and Jessica.  _What the hell?_   _There’s not enough beer in this entire bar to deal with this right now_.  And then she heard the knock on the bathroom door.  She ignored it at first.  Then came another knock.

“Just a minute,” Lucy responded as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Lucy.  It’s me.  Open the door,” Flynn said.

She couldn’t refuse him in that moment.  She longed for him to hold her, like he had so many other times.  He was her crutch and her cheerleader all rolled into one.  She opened the door and looked at the floor as he closed the gap between them.  The next thing she remembered, she was in his arms, the magnetic attraction too much to deflect.

“Shh, Lucy.  It’s going to be okay,” Flynn said as he cradled one arm behind her head and the other around her waist.

“I can’t.  I can’t,” Lucy cried.

He held her for a little while as she buried her head into his chest.  When her cries stopped, he removed his hand from around the back of her head and lifted her chin up to meet his gaze.

“Lucy, you can do anything.  I know you can.  You’re going to go back in there and show those two that they can’t get to you anymore.  You hear me?” Flynn stated.

She suddenly felt emboldened.  _She always did with him by her side._   She nodded her head and walked back towards the table.  For the remainder of the night, Lucy put on her best “I don’t give a shit” face.  And she was very proud of herself because of it.

 


	10. Some Enchanted Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy receives an unusual invitation and her acceptance changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I hope you enjoy. My inner muse needed a recharge.

Flynn felt bad for Lorena when he took her home that night.  If he wasn’t bewitched by Lucy, he could have envisioned himself falling for her. 

“I’m sorry about tonight, but that situation was a powder keg ready to explode,” he said.

Lorena placed her hand gently on his arm and looked directly into his eyes.  “I’m sorry too.  You’re a great guy, but it’s clear to me that your heart already belongs to someone else,” she replied. 

This was a fact that could not be denied or refuted.  He loved Lucy and that wasn’t going to change. 

The next morning Lucy informed him that she broke up with Noah.  _Finally_.  There was no other man in his way, except himself.  He wanted to tell her how he felt.  But he was terrified of losing her all over again and just couldn’t bring himself to do it.  They had just started mending their friendship and it felt like old times again.  Just he and Lucy.  Keeping the status quo was fine for now.  He had her all to himself and not a second of it would be wasted. 

Since his return from Berlin, he had actively looked for his own place to live.  He bought a house in Palo Alto (near Lucy of course).  It was an older Victorian that needed a good deal of work.  He didn’t mind though.  He always liked to work with his hands.  He figured it was a good investment.  He would live there while he fixed it up and then sell it for a profit later, as it was much too large for just himself.  He focused on renovating the kitchen first.  Since he finally finished it the other day, he decided he would invite Lucy over for dinner.  He planned to cook her a romantic dinner and tell her how he felt.  No more excuses. 

When he pulled into his driveway that evening, Lucy was already there, sitting on the front porch.  As soon as he exited the car, he knew something was wrong.  She wasn’t crying, but she didn’t look happy either. 

“Lucy, what are you doing here already?  Didn’t I say seven?” he asked.

“Yeah, you did, but I really needed to talk to someone,” she replied.

He opened the door and they both went inside.  Lucy sat on a stool at the island in the kitchen, while he prepared dinner.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Flynn questioned.

“This,” she answered as she threw a white envelope on the counter. 

Flynn opened the envelope.

“Seriously?” he asked as he threw the envelope back down on the counter, “They invited you to their wedding?”

“Apparently.  I had to hear the entire lecture from my mother that she’s family and I should go and be the bigger person.  But it wouldn’t be just dealing with them.  You know my Dad and Emma will be there,” Lucy said.

“Emma.  My _favorite_ person,” he quipped.

“Even Amy wants to go just so she can sponge food and booze off of them and make a scene to embarrass them,” she elaborated.

“Lucy, you have to do what’s best for you.  The hell with everyone else,” Flynn stated.

“If I don’t go, I’ll be the only one in the entire family who doesn’t and they’ll all talk about loser Lucy all night.  If I go, I’ll be the only one without a date and they’ll still talk about loser Lucy all night,” she complained.

“Lucy, you are not a loser.  Please don’t ever say that again.  You’re an amazing, accomplished woman and anyone who thinks otherwise is a complete idiot,” Flynn answered with authority.

“Well, maybe if I had someone to go with…..”

“Lucy, if you want me to accompany you to Wyatt and Jessica’s wedding, you just have to ask,” Flynn said.

“Garcia, will you go with me to the wedding?” Lucy asked.

Flynn just nodded.  Of course he would go with her.  He’d walk to the ends of the Earth for her.

___________________________________________________

The day of the wedding came and Flynn drove to Lucy’s house.  They had all planned to drive with Amy and her date Shane, since Shane wasn’t much of a drinker.  He talked to Amy and Shane while Lucy finished getting ready.  When she appeared in the living room a short while later, he almost lost his cool entirely.  She was a vision.  If he hadn’t already been madly in love with her, that would’ve sent him over the edge.  She wore a beautiful, long, one-shoulder burgundy gown and her hair was in an elaborate up-do.  A delicate string of pearls graced her slender neck with matching tear-drop shaped pearl earrings in her ears.  _You will be the envy of every man there with this alluring angel on your arm_.

He had worn the burgundy tie that Lucy had purchased for him, a white dress shirt and his black suit.  His tongue was tied, the radiance of her beauty left him both breathless and speechless.  Finally, after a few seconds, he gathered himself to his normal state of worship and managed to propel words out of his mouth. 

“You ready?” he asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Lucy responded.

When they arrived at the church, Lucy looked anxious.  His heart throbbed in agony for her.  He knew this was not easy.  They sat with Jiya, Amy and Shane.  Rufus was Wyatt’s best man so he would join them at the reception.  In the pew directly in front of them were Benjamin Cahill and Emma.

The ceremony proceeded and when the priest got to the part about objections to the couple’s union, a huge swath of guests turned to look at Lucy.  Wyatt and Jessica’s gaze also moved toward her.  Emma turned completely around in the pew and stared directly into Lucy’s face.  Lucy stared straight ahead and focused on the only friendly face, Rufus.  Flynn felt her inch closer to him.  He gently placed his hand over hers.  Their fingers interlocked and Lucy squeezed back in appreciation for the gesture of support.  She turned her head towards him and he could see the tears that formed behind her eyes.  He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead.  Some of the other guests instantaneously turned their eyes back to the altar and others remained locked on Lucy.  Lucy stared at Flynn and he held her gaze until the priest continued with the ceremony.

When they got to the end of the ceremony and it was kiss the bride time, he squeezed Lucy’s hand lightly and then brought it to his lips.  She turned and smiled at him.  _Atta girl, keep looking at me._  

____________________________________________________

The next thing Lucy realized, the ceremony was over and the guests began to exit the pews and join the receiving line.  Amy and Shane went ahead of them, followed by Jiya, who of course gave Rufus a cute wink before wishing the bride and groom well.  As Jiya stepped away, Lucy stepped forward, with a vice-like grip on Garcia’s hand. 

“Congratulations.  It really was a lovely ceremony,” Lucy stated as she tried her best to keep her voice level.

Jessica smiled back at her and Wyatt stood there and stared back not saying a word.  After a few tense moments, Wyatt blurted out “Are you two together?”

_You have real nerve asking me that.  Like it’s any of your concern who I am with.  I bet that would legitimately piss you off, wouldn’t it?_

“Yeah, actually we are,” Lucy replied as she flashed that sickeningly-sweet, sugar filled smile.

Jessica just held her smile, but Wyatt looked enraged.  Flynn was in shock.  She tugged on his hand and pulled him behind her towards the door. 

_Technically, they were there together, so…._   

Lucy felt satisfied as she left Wyatt with only the power to speculate.  Flynn didn’t admonish her, so she assumed he was okay with it. 

At the reception, they sat with Amy, Shane, Rufus and Jiya.  She was positive that her father and Emma had stayed away from their table on purpose, since Flynn had given them the death glare every chance he got.  She was enjoying herself.  If there was one thing she could always say about Flynn and Amy, they made her laugh like no one else.  Throw Rufus and Jiya into the mix and you were bound to have a good time.

But when a slow song came on and the entire table of couples got up to dance, Lucy had a moment of panic.  Then she noticed Flynn’s outstretched hand as he beckoned her to the dance floor.  She wasn’t worried about being close to him, she was more worried about stepping on his feet.  “It’s alright, Lucy,” he stated as she reluctantly took his hand.

Flynn pulled her onto the dance floor and wrapped his arms around her.  Lucy was glad she had on heels so she could reach her arms around his neck without having to strain.  He made some stupid joke (she doesn’t remember now) and she chuckled and released the tension in her body.  As they swayed to the music, she saw Wyatt and Jessica in her periphery.  Jessica’s back was to her, but Wyatt stared bug-eyed right at her.  Mostly fueled by anger, but not entirely if she was being honest with herself, she tugged Flynn down towards her and kissed him softly and lingered slightly as she pulled away.  Their foreheads touched as they both breathed in the other.  Wyatt couldn’t stop staring at them and even Jessica seemed to take notice of her new husband’s wandering eye.  She probably should’ve warned Flynn before she planted one on him, but she was afraid it would give him the opportunity to back out.  She wasn’t truly interested in Wyatt’s reaction.  All she knew was she kissed him, she liked it and she wanted to do it again and again. 

The song ended and Lucy couldn’t breathe. 

“I need a drink,” she mumbled as she let go of him. 

He just nodded in response. 

"Do you want one?” Lucy asked.

Again, he just nodded.  Lucy walked toward the bar as Flynn walked back to their table.  There was a slight line and Lucy had gotten impatient.  She wanted to look back at him, but she was afraid.  There was an older woman in front of her in line.  She turned around to Lucy and exchanged a few pleasantries at first, but then the topic shifted to Lucy and her dance partner.

“You’re a lucky woman.  It’s been a long time since a man has looked at me like that,” she said.

Lucy didn’t know how to respond, so she blurted out the first thing her brain concocted.

“What do you mean?  Looks at me like what exactly?” Lucy asked.

“Oh, sweetheart.  That man is a goner for you.  I would know.  It’s the same look my last three husbands gave me,” she responded.

“Three?” Lucy questioned.

“I’m hoping to find number four at this wedding, dearie,” she said.

Lucy was speechless.  Thankfully, the woman turned back around as she had reached the front of the line at the bar.  _Did he look at her like that?  Maybe it’s not your imagination after all._

___________________________________________________

She kissed him. _She_ kissed _him._ It wasn’t long, but their lips touched.  He still felt the tingle in them.  She had a few drinks, but Lucy wasn’t drunk.  _She wasn’t drunk and she kissed him_.  He just repeated it over and over again in his head.  If only he had been prepared.  He would’ve responded with a proper kiss.  But the night was still young.

After they had finished dinner, their table received their obligatory visit from the bride and groom.  Everything had been going well, up to that point at least.  He could tell Lucy was trying her best not to let them get to her.  She had shifted slightly in her chair towards him.  The next thing he knew, Lucy tilted her head back and rested it onto his shoulder.  She craned her neck and looked up at him.  Just like in the church, she had focused on him and he knew why.  But it really didn’t matter.  He didn’t want to presume too much, but he was determined to test the limits to this new shift in their relationship.  He gingerly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter.  He drifted closer to Lucy and whispered in her ear.  “Breathe.”  She smiled back at him with a devilish grin.  _If only she knew what she was doing to him._  

Wyatt stared daggers at them and the situation was more than awkward.  “So, I guess you two really are together?” Wyatt asked.

He felt Lucy go stiff in his arms.  To his surprise though, she shifted in her seat, looked Wyatt dead in his eyes and responded in an almost authoritative tone, “Yes, yes we are.”

He heard her tell Wyatt that they were together earlier, but he assumed it was in reference to him accompanying her to the wedding.  _But he’ll play along._   He knew it would piss Wyatt off and being close to Lucy was never a bad thing.  Flynn could tell that Wyatt still doubted that they were indeed together.  So, he slowly moved toward Lucy’s exposed neck, never breaking Wyatt’s gaze the entire time and pressed a slow, soft kiss to it.  He lingered there and his breath initiated goosebumps on her neck.  Lucy brought her hand up to caress his cheek in response.  Wyatt fumed. 

“When did _that_ happen?” Rufus asked as he turned to Jiya.  Jiya just swatted his arm as she turned to Amy at the other end of the table. 

“It’s about damn time!” Amy exclaimed as she gave her sister a sly wink. 

“Wait, your own sister didn’t know about you two?” Wyatt questioned in disbelief.

He felt Lucy’s body tense again and he wasn’t sure what she wanted him to do.

“Oh I knew,” Amy replied, “I was just sworn to secrecy.”

Thankfully, Amy thought fast on her feet.

“In fact…Should we tell them babe?” Lucy asked as she turned to look at him. 

She had that devilish grin on her face again.  Flynn nodded his head.  He had no idea what she was about to say, but he was going to let Lucy take the lead. 

“We’re moving in together!” Lucy exclaimed as she grabbed his face and pressed a hard, quick kiss to his lips. 

Rufus spit his drink out as he choked on Lucy’s words.  Jiya was shocked and her mouth gaped open.  Amy turned to look at her date before she lost it entirely.

“I’m so happy for you two,” Jessica stated as she nudged Wyatt with her hip.

“Uh, yeah.  Good for you guys.  Excuse me,” Wyatt stammered as he walked away. 

Jessica was visibly shaken by Wyatt’s reaction.  She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do or say.  “I really am happy for you Lucy.  And maybe one day, you can get passed the hurt I caused.  I really am sorry and I miss you.  We _are_ family, you know,” Jessica stated.

Amy’s head snapped back to Jessica like something out of the exorcist.  Her date, Shane, had to physically take hold of her shoulders, as Amy was an instant away from lunging across the table and assaulting Jessica.  Lucy just sat there, unable to respond.  Jessica’s eyes darted to the floor, unable to sustain the heat of the death glares.  No one said a word as silence fell over the table. 

“Well, I should greet the rest of my guests.  I hope you all have a great time tonight,” Jessica said as she turned and walked to the next table.

“Family, my ass!” Amy seethed.  “Family doesn’t have sex with their cousin’s boyfriend, let alone marry them!”

Lucy took a deep breath and stood up.  Flynn was already prepared to go into damage control mode, but to his surprise, Lucy turned back to him with an outstretched hand.  He took her hand instinctively as she led him back out onto the dance floor.  She could have led him straight off a cliff or to the gates of hell and he wouldn’t have cared.  Get him his leash now, because he would be tethered to her for eternity.  She possessed him, body, heart and soul.  He could never love anyone like he loved Lucy.

He was surprised when she pulled him towards the dance floor.  Lucy wasn’t the most coordinated person and usually she would only dance begrudgingly.  When he took her in his arms, all was right with the world.  She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered quietly, “Just hold me.”

_Done_.  If it was up to him, he’d never let her go.  You’d either have to chop his arms off or pry her from his cold, dead body.  It was the only reason he was going along with her little charade.  He got to be with her, in a small way.  _But just maybe…maybe she would see the possibility of them truly being together_.  A tiny shred of hope, but hope nonetheless.

As Flynn continued to dance with Lucy, he felt as if they were being watched.  Jiya used to call it his “spydy” sense. 

“We’re being watched,” Lucy mused, her eyes still closed as she clung to him with a quiet desperation.

For a moment, he was taken aback by her comment.  _Her eyes are closed, how does she know?_   As if Lucy read his thoughts, she replied “I can feel it.”

She opened her eyes and looked up at him with wide doe eyes and he lost all control.

“Well then, perhaps we should give them something to talk about,” he said as he bent down, cupped the silky skin of her cheek with his hand and brushed her lips lightly.  He breathed in heavily her strawberry scented shampoo and vanilla scented perfume.  She was as enchanting as a sirens’ song and before he knew it, his body reacted.  His lips pressed against hers, soft, slow and hesitant at first.  He could taste the mojitos Lucy had been imbibing all night on her lips.  Sweet; just like her, just like this kiss.  Lucy parted her lips in response and deepened the kiss.  Their tongues tangled and twisted and he felt Lucy’s hand run through his hair.   _He could literally die right now and go to heaven and he’s not sure he’d know the difference_.  Continuing to kiss Lucy became more important than breathing and that’s exactly what he did until he gasped for air. 

 


	11. Bargain For Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy comes to a realization. Amy pushes her sister into a corner. Lucy and Flynn come to an understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here goes nothing. Hope you enjoy. These two are at least moving in the direction that everyone wants me to go in. The bubble is bursting soon!

Lucy awoke the next morning in an understandable daze.  She felt the rays of sunlight cascade over her face as they shone through the light blue curtains and casted the room in a grayish hue.  Her eyes remained shut, not yet able to face the day.  She was cozy and warm.  Her pillow felt a little lumpy, but not uncomfortable enough to move.  Lucy’s right arm was wrapped around the other pillow.  And her right leg was wrapped around…. _not_ a pillow.  _Oh, God, what have I done?_  

She dared not open her eyes.  She was sure she was in her room, and she was also sure she was _not_ alone.  She knew she didn’t have a bra on, but she definitely had on a shirt and underwear.  She felt her companion’s arm around her, his hand rested halfway between her ass and her hip.  _What happened last night?_   _More importantly, who did she sleep with last night?_  

It didn’t take long for her to figure it out.  The last thing she remembered, _really remembered_ , was kissing Garcia.  There were bits and pieces of the night Lucy recalled after the kiss, but most of it was blurry and fuzzy.  _Did they cross over into the friends with benefits territory?_ She didn’t remember having sex with him _.  She would remember that, wouldn’t she?_   No, she would most definitely remember that.  She’d have to be completely unconscious to not remember. 

She knew the kiss had completely short-circuited her.  _Did he kiss every woman like that or just her?_   It’s not like she could call up Lorena and ask her.  And Lorena was the only other woman she ever knew about.  _Or was it all a performance to piss off Wyatt?_   Whatever it was, that kiss…it _wrecked_ her.  Never in her life had a man kissed her like that.  And they weren’t even in a _real_ relationship.  _Could she even handle a kiss from him if they were in a real relationship?  If he was that good at kissing, what other skills did he possess?_

She recalled they left the reception a short time later.  She remembered being propped up against him in the car ride home, cheeks pressed against each other with heavy breath.  The rest of the car ride home, she stayed like that.  She also recollected that Shane stayed overnight and Garcia was in no condition to drive.  Check, check.  Made complete sense. But why was he in _her_ bed? 

Lucy opened her eyes.  He just slept peacefully as she laid in his arms.  The whole scenario seemed surreal.  He was most definitely shirtless and she allowed herself a good, long appreciative inspection of the man who laid beside her.  Her thoughts diverged into naughty scenarios she would like to experience with that body.  _What would he do if I climbed on top of him right now?_  Then it hit her like a large, proverbial anvil over her head.  _She was in love with him._   There was no more doubt, no further self-denials.  She loved him, yet that prospect terrified and excited her at the same time.  _What do I do now?_   _Hope he changes his mind about her?_   _Was she capable of seducing him?  Making him fall in love with her?_   Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts all at once, none of which provided the clarity she sought.  She needed to talk to someone about this.  She knew what Amy would say.  She knew what _her mother_ would say.  When she had problems like this, she always talked to Garcia.  But he _was_ the problem.  She was afraid if she spoke to Jiya, it would all get back to him.  _Focus, Lucy. One problem at a time._  And her problem right now was she was afraid that if she moved, she would wake him and all she wanted more than anything was to remain in his arms.

All of a sudden, there was a knock at her bedroom door.  It opened a few seconds later and Rufus was standing there.  Lucy bolted up when the door opened and her movement caused Flynn to stir.  Still half-asleep, he rolled to his side slightly and reached out for Lucy with his arm. 

“Sorry,” Rufus said as he covered his eyes with his hand. 

“It’s okay,” Lucy replied.

“I just wanted to tell you Amy made breakfast,” he answered as he turned around, walked out and shut the door.

Rufus.  Now she remembered.  Flynn slept in her room because Rufus and Jiya came back to the house and they slept in the guest room. Well, it was more of an office that a guest room, but it did have a sleeper sofa.  Lucy was completely embarrassed.  And she was well aware of the shocked expression on Rufus’ face when he looked at the two of them in her bed.  She felt Flynn’s arm around her waist as he tugged her back towards him.  When she hadn’t responded, he moaned in disgust and she knew it wouldn’t be long before he was fully awake.

__________________________________________________

When he woke up the next morning, Flynn felt Lucy’s body pressed against his.  _I could absolutely get used to this every morning_.  He was blissfully happy.  This was his dream come true, sort of.  Lucy was the last thing he saw before he fell asleep and she was the first thing his eyes saw when he woke up in the morning.  _If only this was my life all the time_.   

He had told her over and over again last night that he would sleep on the floor or the couch.  But Lucy was having none of it.  She had practically begged him with puppy dog eyes when she pled for him to stay with her.  He had already been overwhelmed by their kiss, so he was in no shape to deny her.  The greatest test of his strength came when Lucy requested his assistance with the zipper on her dress.  The entire process had a sensual air to it and he brushed his fingers against her skin lightly as he moved the zipper down.  He felt the shiver that went through her spine as he did it.  It pulsed through his fingers like an electric shock.  He could have pulled the dress down and off of her with ease.  But this was Lucy.  He would _never_ do anything like that without her expressed permission.  But he _was_ drunk last night.  He blamed Jiya and Amy for that.  In hindsight, he was sure Amy especially had purposefully plied them with liquor once they were back at the house.  The events of that night were like a whirlwind, yet each and every second of it was etched into his memory.

After he unzipped Lucy’s dress, he expected her to go and get changed in the bathroom or ask him to step out into the hallway or at the least turn around while she changed.  Instead, Lucy turned around and moved closer to him. 

“Give me your shirt,” she said.

“What?” he asked completely surprised.

“Give me your shirt!” Lucy repeated.

“Do you mean the one I’m currently wearing?” he questioned.

Lucy shook her head in response.

“Why do you want my shirt?” he asked.

“Give me the damn shirt or I will take it off myself!” Lucy demanded as her fist pounded his chest.

He gladly would have let her do it for him, but she begun to sway a little as she was unsteady on her feet.  He unbuttoned his shirt and gave it to her as she demanded.  Lucy grabbed the shirt out of his hands, slipped her arms into it and wrapped it around her.  She buttoned the shirt over her dress then let the dress fall to the floor.  She stood there, legs exposed, with only his dress shirt, her underwear and her bra on.  He was self-conscious that he was standing there shirtless in front of her.  Lucy then let her hair down from the up-do and it tumbled around her shoulders in loose curls.  _God, she’s so damn hot!_   It seemed to be the only thought his brain could conjure.

“Tonight was _fun_ ,” Lucy said as she moved closer, got up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

_More like amazing_.  He was frozen in place, unsure what to do.  He wanted to kiss her desperately.  _What did Lucy want?_   He didn’t have time to find out because she lost her balance and fell back onto the bed and pulled him with her.  He landed hard on top of her and thought he hurt her at first, until she laughed.  But she never let go of him, her arms still wrapped around his neck. 

“Are you okay?” he asked concerned.

Lucy just kept laughing. 

She was the most uncoordinated person he’d ever met, yet he found it was one of the things he adored about her.  Lucy let go of him finally and shimmied her way up to the top of the bed.  He sat up, took off his pants and laid down next to her.  His breathing was heavy and he wasn’t sure how close to get to her, so he laid at the edge of the bed at first.  Slowly, but not so subtlety, Lucy inched over until he finally got the hint.  He moved over and she snuggled up against him and wrapped her leg over his.  If she made a move on him right now, he knew he’d give in.  He was already aroused with her lying so close.  His mind wandered slightly as he fantasized about what it would be like to truly be with her.  _If her kissing was any indication, well…_   When he looked back down at Lucy, she was already fast asleep.  His heart raced and he found it hard to believe this was reality.  He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.  She smiled back in her sleep and let out a small moan. 

“Mmm, Garcia,” Lucy mused.

_Did she just?_   There was no way he could fall asleep right now.  He just replayed the events of this enchanted evening over and over again in his mind.  He didn’t want this night to end and he surely did not want Lucy to fall asleep before anything else could happen.  But she looked _so happy, so content,_ he dared not wake her.  He watched as she slept peacefully in his arms for a long time.  He didn’t remember what time it was when he finally dozed off. 

__________________________________________________

“Is he gone?” Flynn asked.

Lucy turned to look at his semi-lifeless body next to her on the bed.

“Yes.  I didn’t know you were awake,” she replied.

“I wasn’t until Rufus decided to pay us a visit,” he responded.

Flynn sat upright, running his hand through his hair.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning,” Lucy replied.

Neither one seemed as though they wanted to address the elephant in the room. 

“Amy made breakfast so….I guess we should get dressed and go downstairs before Shane and Rufus eat it all,” Lucy stated.

Flynn nodded in response, got out of the bed and put his pants back on.  Lucy watched him the entire time, marveling at the exquisite specimen she had made out with last night.   The man she was hopelessly in love with.  He stood there for a second and Lucy looked up at him confused because he was still shirtless.

“Where’s your shirt?” she asked.

He titled his head towards her and she looked down.  She hadn’t realized it was _his_ shirt she had on at first.  Come to think of it, Lucy had no recollection of how that happened either.

“Oh my God,” Lucy responded horrified.

He chuckled as she pulled the sheet up over her face to hide her embarrassment.  She slid out of bed and grabbed clean clothes from her closet then exited her bedroom and walked to the bathroom down the hall. 

Lucy stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.  Her hair was a mess and she had makeup smeared on her face.  _Lovely.  He saw me like this?_   She was mortified.  She splashed some water on her face and cleaned herself up.  She quickly got changed.  She didn’t want to keep Garcia waiting, but she also didn’t know how to act around him.  _You really made a mess of things._   Or had she?  That’s what good girl Lucy Preston would have said.  The Lucy that lived in her mother’s shadow, the Lucy she no longer was.  He had changed her.  She would never have been able to do what she did last night before she became friends with him.  She never would have had the confidence or gall.  But he stood by her, never questioned her reasons, never questioned anything.  He did that for _her_.  Good girl Lucy Preston wouldn’t try to push him, wouldn’t take advantage of this mess.  But she was _not_ good girl Lucy anymore and she was going to push.  Push this as far as he’d let her take it.  With a determined mind, she opened the bathroom door and walked back to her bedroom.  She tossed Flynn’s shirt back to him.

“Get dressed before you traumatize Rufus any more than you already have,” she said followed by a little chuckle.

“I’ll just threaten to make him…..disappear, shall we say?  He won’t say a word about what he saw,” Flynn replied with a huge smirk on his face.

Lucy just smiled and walked out the bedroom door.

__________________________________________________

When they walked into the kitchen, everyone else looked up from their breakfast.  Lucy grabbed two coffee mugs for her and Flynn.  No one said a word.  They sat and ate their breakfasts in an eerie silence.  Finally, Amy decided enough was enough.

“So…we’ve all decided that you guys can host Thanksgiving this year.  Since you’ve got the new house and brand new kitchen and all,” Amy stated.

Lucy blinked her eyes hard as if she hadn’t comprehended. 

“Wait, what?” Lucy gasped.

“That should give you enough time to make the downstairs presentable I would assume, right Garcia?” Amy asked as she ignored her sister’s question.

“I guess so, but it’s not up to me.  You need to ask Lucy,” he replied.

“I, uh….,” Lucy stammered.

“If you’re worried about getting all of Lucy’s stuff over to the new house, Shane and I can help,” Amy offered.

Lucy shot Amy a death glare.  She enjoyed this way too much.

“Thanks, Amy but I think Lucy and I can handle it,” Flynn answered.

“Oh, come on Lucy.  Rufus and I really want to see what you’ve been able to do with that house.  I saw some of the before pictures from Flynn at work.  Plus, Rufus and I don’t know anything about cooking a turkey.  You’re not going to let your friends starve on Thanksgiving right?” Jiya asked.

“I…I can’t cook,” Lucy replied.

“No, but your boyfriend can!” Amy chimed in.

“Fine!” Lucy yelled back in frustration.

Amy sat there with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.  Flynn sat there slightly shell-shocked.  _How long was this farce going to go on?  How far was Lucy willing to take this?  And, Amy…she’d have them celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary before she gave up her apparent matchmaking role._  

They finished their breakfast and he said goodbye to everyone.  Lucy walked him to the front door.

“Call me later.  We need to talk,” he whispered.

“Yeah, I guess we do,” Lucy responded.

__________________________________________________

Later that afternoon, Lucy went over to Flynn’s house so they could talk.  The entire drive there she was desperately trying to concoct ideas to maintain their charade.  She wanted this and she was resolute about getting it.  When she got there, she started to lose her nerve, until he opened the front door.  The smile that was on his face warmed her heart and gave her the extra boost she needed. 

“So,” Flynn said.

“So,” Lucy responded.

“What do we do now?” he asked.

“What did I do?  I’m so sorry,” she answered.

“For what?  You didn’t do anything wrong,” he responded.

“I shouldn’t have assumed-”

“You did nothing wrong,” he repeated as he took her hands in his.

“Now I’ve got you, well _us,_ hosting Thanksgiving!” Lucy said.

“Like I wouldn’t be cooking for us anyway?” he asked.

_For us_.  She liked the sound of that.

“You can always just tell them the truth, or tell them you were joking or you were really, really drunk and you just blurted it out,” Flynn stated. 

_Oh no.  He’s coming up with reasons why this can’t continue._

“You really think Rufus will buy that now after he saw us in bed, half-naked and practically on top of each other?” Lucy asked.

“He will if I tell him he will,” he replied.

Lucy just shook her head.

“No.  We’ll just have Thanksgiving and then tell all of them later that we felt we’re just better off being friends.  They’ll all be preoccupied with the holidays, they won’t care what we’re doing,” Lucy rationalized. 

“Okay.  Plus, I’ve got a way you can repay me anyway,” he stated.

“Oh yeah?” Lucy questioned.

“Yep. You can go with me to the company Christmas party.  Jiya and Rufus will be there,” he explained.

“You….actually want to go socialize at a company Christmas party?” Lucy asked in disbelief.

“I don’t _want to_ , I have to.  Comes with being Deputy Chief of Station, unfortunately.  At least if I have you there I might have a little fun,” he said with that puppy dog look she could never refuse.

“Okay.  I can do that,” Lucy replied.

“And….since you’ve roped me into cooking a holiday meal, you can help me finish picking out furniture and painting the living room,” Flynn answered.

“Okay.  I can do that too,” she said.

“And lastly, you can help me cook said meal,” he added.

“I told you, I can’t cook,” she answered.

“Well, I’m going to teach you then,” he replied.

_That gives me plenty of excuses for being around you all the time. And it gives me plenty of chances to make you fall for me._  

 

 


	12. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Garcy domestic fluff and an unexpected guest shows up for Thanksgiving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this lives up to your expectations. Warning: there is sexual content in this chapter.

Over the next couple of weeks, Lucy kept her promise, well at least one of them.  She helped Flynn paint the living room.  Now it was time she fulfilled her next promise, furniture shopping.  When she got into his car, he had a huge smile on his face.

“What’s that look for?” she asked.

“What, I can’t be excited to be finally getting a new couch?” he responded.

Lucy just shook her head slightly in response.  _What man is excited to go furniture shopping?_ He clearly was a rare gem.  She could understand if it was for a new big screen television, but they were looking for a couch.  They were already at their second furniture store of the day, when Flynn saw a couch he thought might work.

“What about this one?” he asked.

“It’s too small.  We need something large enough for your tree limbs,” Lucy snickered.

“Sorry, we can’t all be fun sized you know,” he laughed.

“Ha, ha. Very funny,” she quipped.

A salesclerk walked up to them and asked if they needed help.  Lucy informed her what they were looking for and she showed them a few options.

“This one’s the style you’re looking for and it’s in your price range,” the salesclerk stated.

“No,” Lucy responded as she walked towards another couch a few sections over.

The salesclerk glanced at Flynn and he just shrugged in response.

“She’s picky,” he explained.

“I heard that, _darling!_ ”

“She picked me so…,” Flynn added as he shrugged his shoulders once again.

“I like this one,” Lucy called from the next room.

He walked over, took a look at it and sat down.

“It’s comfy and there’s enough room.  I’m good with it,” he replied.

“Are you sure?  We can go somewhere else if you don’t see anything you like here,” she said.

Flynn turned to the salesclerk, “We’ll take it.”

The salesclerk wrote up the sales slip for the couch.  “Thank you again Mr. & Mrs. Flynn.”

“Oh, we’re not married,” Lucy responded quickly.

“My apologies,” the woman replied.

“Not _yet._ I’ll break her down eventually,” Flynn added with a wink.

Lucy just rolled her eyes and walked out the door.

He leaned closer and whispered to the salesclerk, “I’d have married her the day after I met her,” he beamed.  He meant it, he would have.

________________________________________________________

Lucy had stayed over the night before Thanksgiving, in the guest room, much to his dismay.  She had basically been at his place every chance she got and he enjoyed basically living with her.  There was just one important part missing.

When he woke up Thanksgiving morning, Lucy was in his bed, nestled closely against him.  He was not complaining in the least, but he did not remember her climbing into bed with him.  _How did she sneak into his room without him waking up?_   He hadn’t realized he had leaned down and kissed her until his lips were on hers.  Lucy moaned and kissed him back.  The same as the first, soft and slow initially.  He pulled her closer to him and kissed her again, this one more passionate than the first.  That led to a third kiss, a fourth, a fifth, each one more intense than the last.  They were both breathless.  Her hands wrapped around his neck and his slid up and down her back.  _He could literally do this all day.  Cancel Thanksgiving now_.  Lucy pulled him on top of her and he continued kissing her, moving from her lips down to her neck.  Lucy arched her back in response.  He pulled the strap of her tank top down on the one shoulder as he continued the trail of kisses down her neck.  _This might actually happen!_ And then, the doorbell rang. 

“Ignore it,” he whispered.

Lucy didn’t even respond.  Her eyes were closed and she smiled like she was bathed in dreamy pleasure.  Then it rang again.  Banging ensued.

“Who the hell?” he asked annoyed beyond belief.

Then Lucy’s cellphone started ringing on the bedside table.

“Oh, God.  Amy,” Lucy yelled as she sat straight up.

“Why would your sister be here this early?” he questioned.

“I asked her to help me today,” Lucy responded in a panic. 

_You have got to be kidding me_. 

________________________________________________________

Lucy jumped up, grabbed her robe and ran downstairs to open the door.

“Finally!” Amy yelled, “What the hell were you doing?”

Lucy bit her lip. 

“Oh, no.  Did I _interrupt_ something?” Amy gasped with her eyes wide.

“Maybe?” Lucy replied.

They heard movement from upstairs and then water running. 

“Alright, spill,” Amy shrieked.

Lucy grabbed her hand and yanked her into the kitchen.  She really did not want to have this conversation with her sister right this second.  She hadn’t even had coffee yet.  She wasn’t even really positive that it actually did happen. 

“Let me at least get the coffee going,” Lucy answered.

Amy handed her one.  “I stopped on the way here.”

Lucy sipped the coffee as Amy waited anxiously.

“I guess something might have happened, but we were only kissing, I swear!”

“Lucy, I’m not Mom.  I don’t care who you have sex with.  Have you, by the way?” Amy asked.

“Amy!”

“I take that as a no.  Okay then.  Why am I here so damn early?” Amy questioned.

“To help me clean and get ready,” Lucy responded.

“Lucy, this house looks fine.  It’s already clean,” Amy complained.

“I told her that yesterday,” Flynn said as he walked into the kitchen, freshly showered.

He prepared the stuffing and the turkey and put it in the oven.  Amy helped Lucy tidy up the living room and set the dining room table.  Lucy excused herself and went up to take a shower.  She _really_ didn’t want to leave him alone with Amy.  As soon as Lucy was in the shower, Amy went right up to Flynn.

“So, are you ever going to tell my sister that you’re in love with her?” Amy quipped.

“What?  What makes you think I’m in love with her?” he teased.

“Let’s see…You’re with her all the time, you can’t stop looking at her, you buy her expensive jewelry, let her pick out your furniture, decorate your house and basically move in.  Did I miss anything?” Amy asked.

“I think you covered it all,” he laughed.

“I am seriously locking the two of you in the basement until you can admit that you’re madly in love with each other!” Amy replied.

________________________________________________________

Rufus and Jiya arrived and they were all about to sit down to dinner when the doorbell rang.  Everyone looked around because they weren’t expecting any other guests.  Flynn got up to get the door and when he returned they all sat there in shock. 

“Mom?” Lucy asked in disbelief.

“I’m sorry I’m late, Lucy.  I brought dessert though,” Carol stated.

Lucy was stunned.  She did not recall inviting her mother to dinner.  She quickly turned to Amy who threw her hands up in response.  Carol made herself at home and sat down at the table.  She introduced herself to Rufus and Jiya.  Flynn went into the kitchen to grab the turkey.  Lucy wasn’t far behind. 

“Are you okay?” he asked once they were alone in the kitchen.

He didn’t know why he even asked.  He could tell that Lucy wasn’t alright just by the look on her face.  She moved closer to him and he engulfed her in his arms.  She wasn’t crying, but she buried her head into his chest anyway.  He pressed a kiss to her forehead and cupped her chin with his hand, moving her eyes to meet his.  “We’ll get through this.  I promise,” he said as he pressed another kiss to her forehead. 

And for the first time in her life, Lucy _knew_ she would.  Because she had him by her side.  He made her bolder, stronger, more confident.  He always encouraged her, never judged her.  He was her rock.  She lifted her head and looked in his eyes.  All she saw was tender caring staring back at her.  She knew he cared about her, she’s always known that.  But the way he kissed her….  It wasn’t pretend, it wasn’t pity, and it wasn’t pure friendship.  There was desire, need and passion.  A spark had been ignited in the middle of a powder keg. 

“Hey, Flynn, is that turkey gonna fly out here on its own?” Jiya yelled from the dining room. 

They smiled at each other and he grabbed the turkey platter and brought it into the dining room.  

Everyone seemed to be enjoying the meal.  It was awkward with her mother there, but when she would start to get anxious, she would just look at Flynn.  Well, everything _was_ fine, until her mother started on her.

“Lucy, really, I mean you couldn’t even make a turkey yourself?” Carol asked.

Lucy choked on her food to the point that Jiya gave her a polite whack on the back. 

“Lucy helped Mrs. Preston, but I really like cooking,” he replied casually.

_Oh no. This is why you purposefully kept Garcia away from your mother_.  _Leave it to Carol Preston to ruin one more thing in your life._  

“Mom, what are you doing here?” Lucy questioned.

Everyone stopped eating and stared at Lucy.

“Lucy, don’t be silly.  I always spend Thanksgiving with my girls.  And if one of them has a new house with a boyfriend she won’t introduce me to, what else was I supposed to do?” Carol declared.

“Mom!” Amy yelled.

“This doesn’t concern you, Amy.  You’re not the one with the secret boyfriend,” Carol stated.

Amy just shook her head and mouthed sorry to Lucy.  But Lucy understood.  She had dealt with never being good enough for her mother her entire life.  She felt Flynn squeeze her hand and it gave her the strength to stand up to her mother.

“You know what Mom, at least I can honestly say that everyone else who is sitting at this table loves me for who I am.  They’re not trying to control me or judge me or change me,” Lucy roared as she got up from the table and stormed off into the kitchen. 

Carol sat there in shock, along with Rufus and Jiya.  Amy was fuming and Flynn, of course, went after Lucy.  When Flynn walked into the kitchen, Lucy was putting the apple and pumpkin pies on the serving dishes for dessert.  She wasn’t paying attention and she didn’t hear him come up behind her.  The next thing she knew, his arms enveloped her waist and he nuzzled into the crook of her neck.  Lucy leaned back into him.  They stood there for a moment, neither saying a word. 

“Lucy,” he whispered.

“Yes?”

“Will you stay tonight?” he asked as he pressed a kiss to her neck.

“Yes,” she answered breathless.

“I was hoping…maybe we could continue what we started earlier?” he asked shyly.

She turned around to face him and ran her hands up his chest.  He crashed into her lips and kissed her ferociously.  Lucy put her arms around his neck and he lifted her up and set her down on the counter.  She snaked her legs around his hips as they continued kissing each other.  They were both so consumed with the other that they hadn’t noticed when Carol walked into the kitchen.

“For heaven’s sake, Lucy!” Carol shrieked.

Flynn pulled back and helped Lucy down from the counter.

_I might just slap the next person who interrupts us again, Lucy thought._

“Enough!  I know we just met, but you are _not_ going to come into _our_ home, uninvited no less, and berate and shame Lucy.  I have no problem forcibly removing you from the premises.  If you think I’m kidding or I’m not capable, go ask your other daughter or anyone else at the table,” Flynn barked.

Carol was appalled, to say the least.  She stood there speechless and motionless.  Lucy felt a sense of pride.  It’s not the fact that he defended her, it was the fact that he had an uncanny ability to know when to do it and when not to.  Flynn grabbed the dessert trays with the pies and headed back out to the dining room with Lucy on his heels.  She was not going to engage with her mother tonight. 

As soon as dessert was over, Rufus and Jiya high-tailed it out of there.  Lucy couldn’t blame them.  Her mother had made everyone uncomfortable tonight.  Amy had to practically drag Carol out of the house a short time later.  Lucy waived goodbye to her sister from the front door.  As soon as they both pulled out of the driveway, Lucy slammed the front door.  _Her mother made her so angry sometimes_.  But when she turned around, Flynn was right there.  He backed her up until she hit the door with a thud.  They were both staring longingly at each other for an instant and then they crashed into each other like fireworks exploding in the sky.  They were desperate, clutching, clawing and kissing like the world would end if they dared to stop.  He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his hips.  It was primal, animalistic.  They were so enthralled that they bumped into the foyer table, almost knocking over the lamp and a few of Lucy’s decorative vases.  They broke the kiss as he carried her up the stairs.  Lucy continued to press kisses on his neck the entire way to the bedroom.  She thought she heard him moan at one point. 

When they entered the bedroom, he gently placed her onto the bed and Lucy pulled him down with her.  She moved her hands from around his neck and placed them on his cheeks.  She kissed him slowly, teasing him a bit with a slight bite. 

“ _Loocy.”_

She loved it when he said her name like that.  It made his accent so much sexier in her opinion. 

“Are you sure?” he asked between kisses.

She had never been so sure of anything in her life.  She wanted this, she wanted him, and she needed him. 

“Absolutely,” Lucy whispered in response.

________________________________________________________

That was all he needed to hear.  He pulled off his turtleneck and Lucy reciprocated by taking off her shirt. He’s not really sure what the rest of the order was, clothes were flying off faster than you could say naked.  He wasn’t wasting a second of tonight.  _For all I know, she could change her mind in the morning._ His mind told him to take it slow, savor every inch of her, every moment.  His body wasn’t listening.  Two years of wanting her, loving her from afar.  It was more than any man could bear.  The levee had broken and the flood waters were rushing downstream.  Lucy helped guide him into her and they both let out an audible moan.  Just like their kisses, they started slowly, but were soon thrusting and rocking in a hypnotic, carnal rhythm.  Two years of pent up frustration on both of their parts made their coupling frenzied, feverish and full of fire.  He had that same spellbound sensation as when he first saw her.  _This was amazing.  Lucy was amazing._   He sensed Lucy was getting close to the edge and he quickened his pace.  A minute later she was screaming his name and her body was quivering in ecstasy.  Hearing her scream his name like that was the last straw.  He followed her over the edge shortly after.   He stayed in her for a moment and then slid out and laid next to her.  Both of them were gasping for air, sweat glistening off their bodies.

“Wow!” Lucy exclaimed.

“I’m not sure wow covers it,” he answered.

Lucy rolled over and propped her head up on his chest.  She cocked her head slightly to the right and smiled back at him with a devilish grin.  “I want to do that again……and again…..and again,” she proclaimed.

He chuckled lightly. 

“As,” he kissed her.

“You,” he kissed her again.

“Wish,” he responded as he pulled her closer for yet another kiss.

“Mmm….am I your Princess Buttercup and are you my Westley?” she asked playfully.

“No, not my princess…my queen….my goddess…my love,” he answered as he pressed another kiss to her lips. 

_Did I just say that out loud to her?_ He didn’t want to pressure or freak her out by confessing his love too early.  They hadn’t even talked about what they were, what this was.  Lucy smiled back and he melted. 

“I love you, Lucy.  I always have and I always will,” he whispered.

The words had escaped his mouth before his brain processed what he had just said as he basked in the glow of post-coital bliss. 

“I love you too, Garcia,” she answered as she pulled him closer to her and kissed him back passionately. 

_She just said she loves you.  She loves you!_   His heart was pounding out of his chest and felt as if it would explode.  He wished this night would never end. 

“Lucy, will you stay?” he asked.

“I already told you I was staying tonight,” she answered.

“I wasn’t talking about tonight,” he responded.

“For how long?” Lucy questioned.

“Indefinitely?”

She kissed him again.  “I think I might be able to do that,” she replied.

 


	13. Timeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A ring and a prayer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my Tumblr mutuals, all the fantastic people who left comments and everyone who left kudos. I so appreciated the feedback and positivity you all brought.

The next few weeks were perfect.  Lucy had stayed and they were so in love with each other.  He never knew one could experience such happiness.  Nor did it hurt that they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.  They made light of their burning desire for one another as making up for lost time.  And they definitely did.  They had christened the bedroom, the shower, the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the walls.  They were starting to run out of places in the house they hadn’t had sex.  Each time they had sex they were exploring one another, learning what turned the other on and how to drive the other out of their mind (which turned out to not be that difficult if they were being honest).  Their considerable height difference also led to some interesting experimentation. 

He didn’t want to spook her since this was so new, but he wanted to spend the rest of his life and start a family with her.  And they had already wasted so much time not communicating or realizing how the other felt.  _How soon is too soon to propose?_   _Maybe he could suggest a long engagement to ease any apprehension on her part_.  _Would she even say yes if he asked?_ He wanted to marry her and he needed her to know that it was an option.  It was essential that she know what he wanted, but if Lucy only wanted to live together, fine.  If she wanted a long engagement, fine.  If she wanted to elope and get married tomorrow, fine.  Just as long as he was with her.   Nothing else was important. 

He loved living with Lucy.  He couldn’t imagine being without her.  They understood one other on a deeper level than most other people.  There were times they could communicate without even speaking.  She would just give him a look and he knew exactly what she wanted.  He even loved her annoying habits, like leaving her dirty coffee cup in the sink every morning or jumping in the bathroom right before she knew he was going to take a shower.   Lately, she was driving him nuts by making him hang Christmas lights on the outside of the house until they were absolutely perfect.  She was a perfectionist and he loved her for it.

Christmas was approaching and Lucy had gone overboard decorating the house.  She even bought matching stockings with their names on them.  She kept badgering him to go get the tree.  They had settled in nicely to domesticity.  Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but it was close.  They were both stubborn, which led to small arguments, just like any couple.  Sometimes he secretly wished they’d fight more, since the makeup sex from the few times they had fought was literally mind-blowing.  Every day he loved Lucy more than the last, even if he didn’t think it was humanly possible.  After vacillating back and forth, he decided he was going to buy Lucy an engagement ring.  He may not propose right away, but he would have it when the right moment presented itself.  He took Jiya with him under the guise of Christmas shopping for Lucy. 

“Flynn, those are engagement rings.  I thought you were looking for a Christmas present,” Jiya stated.

“I am, but I’m also in the market for one of these as well,” he replied.

“Oh, my God.  Are you planning to propose to Lucy?” she asked giddily.

“I was considering it.  Do you think it’s too soon?  We haven’t been together that long,” he questioned.

“I don’t know, but you’re both so in love.  Who’s to say what’s too soon?” Jiya replied.

He continued looking at the rows of rings in the case. 

“Jiya, do you think Lucy would like this one?” he asked.

Jiya looked at it and gasped.  It was absolutely perfect.  The ring was a platinum band three-stone halo diamond with a round center stone in an old-fashioned setting.  Lucy had liked the locket he bought her so he was hoping she would like this just as much.   

“It’s perfect,” Jiya answered in awe at his good taste.

Flynn bought the ring, but ordered a special engraving so the store would let him know when the ring was ready.  As they were about to leave the store, Jiya turned to him and pouted.

“What’s wrong?  Did I buy the wrong one?” he asked panicked.

“No.  I’m just a little jealous.  Rufus and I have been together for two years now and anytime I bring up marriage it’s like I’m bring up a communicable disease,” she laughed.

“Give him time.  You’re both still young.  I’m not a young man.  I want to settle down and start a family with Lucy.  I know without a doubt there is no other woman in the world for me.  Lucy’s my soulmate,” he responded.

“Just like Rufus is mine,” Jiya answered.

________________________________________________

He got word a few days before Christmas that the ring was ready.  He wracked his brain as he tried to figure out how and when to propose.  He wanted it to be romantic.  He needed to show Lucy how much he loved her.  Should he do it at Christmas, at New Year’s, Lucy’s birthday or should he wait until Valentine’s Day?  _Is that too cliché?_   He had taken a different route home from work that day because he had to pick up the ring.  As he sat at a traffic light, he happened to glance over at a billboard on the side of the road.  The advertisement was for a “Great Gatsby” themed New Year’s Eve party at the historic Fairmont Hotel.  _Perfect_.  Lucy would absolutely love it.  He would just tell her he thought it’d be a fun thing to do on New Year’s.  She wouldn’t suspect a thing.

Flynn gave Lucy the tickets to the Gatsby party as one of her many Christmas presents.  He’ll admit he went overboard with the amount of gifts he lavished upon her. 

“Garcia, this is amazing!” she cried as she held the tickets in her hands.

“I saw an ad for it and I thought you’d like to go.  I know how much you like to wear those old historical dresses,” he said with a smile. 

Lucy’s face lit up just like their Christmas tree.

“I’m going to need to find a dress, fast.  What are you going to wear?” she asked.

“I got a tux,” he answered.

“Right.  I forgot how easy it was for you men.  You just rent a tux or throw on a suit,” Lucy replied as she rolled her eyes.

“Actually, I bought a tux,” Flynn answered.

“Why would you buy one?” Lucy questioned.

“I just had a feeling I’d probably need one for a wedding soon,” he teased.

“Does Jiya think that Rufus is going to propose?” Lucy inquired.

_Not exactly.  I was hoping it would be our wedding I’d need it for._  

“I think Jiya is hopeful.  Although, knowing how Rufus is, Jiya might have to take matters into her own hands,” he laughed.

“You might be right about that,” Lucy chuckled.

“Plus, I figured all the black-tie events we have to attend between my work and yours it might be a smart investment,” he added.

Lucy nodded and seemed to agree.  _Good.  It doesn’t seem like she suspects a thing._  

________________________________________________

It was New Year’s Eve and Lucy was getting dressed for their night out.  She thought Flynn was acting weird all day.  _I know he’s not exactly a social butterfly, but his behavior was bizarre even for him_.  She had found a cute black fringed flapper dress, with accompanying headband and choker necklace.  Lucy was excited.  She loved to dress up in period clothing. The party was being held at the Fairmont, which was swanky to say the least.  Lucy had never even stepped foot into the five-star luxury hotel.  She was interested in seeing its splendor and could only imagine that they would pull out all the stops for a New Year’s Gatsby themed party. 

Flynn walked into the bedroom and Lucy couldn’t help but gawk at him.  He looked incredibly sexy in that tux.  _He looked incredibly sexy in just about anything, really_.  If she hadn’t wanted to go to this party so badly, she would’ve just stayed home and made her own fireworks tonight by climbing him like the tree he was.  He noticed that Lucy was staring at him.

“What?  Do I look bad in this penguin suit?” he asked.

Lucy walked over to him and pretended to straighten his bow tie.

“You look dashing,” Lucy said as she pressed a kiss to his lips.

She pulled back and turned to look at herself in the mirror.  She saw Flynn’s reflection in the mirror as she looked her up and down and licked his lips.

“Don’t you dare!” Lucy scolded.

“What?” he asked trying to act innocently.

“You know what you did.  Don’t you tempt me like that.  We’ve got plenty of time for that later,” Lucy answered.

“Promise?” he teased with his best puppy dog look.

“Stop it!” Lucy scolded.

He snickered in response as he grabbed his tux jacket from the back of the chair.

________________________________________________

When they entered the lobby of the Fairmont, Lucy was blown away.  It was as opulent and ostentatious as one would imagine.  The lobby boasted large, beige-colored marble pillars that spread out across it.  There was a large, round marble table in the middle, which displayed a ridiculously palatial flower arrangement on top of it.  The table was surrounded by plush sofas and chairs over top of a black and white tiled floor.  There was a colossal, white marble staircase with a light brown, wrought iron scrolled railing to the one side of the lobby.  It was the literal epitome of the roaring twenties.  The ideal venue for tonight’s festivities.

The party was being held in the gold room of the hotel.  It was a large ballroom that was decorated in the French provincial style, with ornate, gold leaf bas-reliefs that decorated the walls and indoor balconies that rose up to the gilded ceiling.  Lavish crystal chandeliers and wall sconces cast the room in a prism of shimmering diamonds.  She turned to look at Flynn with an expression of wonder and awe.  This was one of the best presents anyone had ever given her.  She felt like she walked directly into an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. 

They were having such a wonderful time that she really hadn’t paid attention to what time it was when Flynn took her hand and led her out a set of French doors which led to the adjacent rooftop garden.  The garden looked like it was an enchanted faery wonderland.  In the middle of the garden, there was an illuminated, spacious, circular fountain which was encapsulated by circular shaped hedges that mimicked the curved pathway around it.  Flowers and shrubbery were meticulously planted along the garden’s edges.  There were two giant palm trees to the north of the garden, with lighted garland wrapped around their bases.  At the back of the garden there was a small white fence that was decorated with burgundy bows and strands of white twinkle lights.  Directly in front of the fence were benches placed along a straight walkway, with classic streetlamp looking light posts.  The fountain’s pool reflected the moonlight along the walkway like iridescent pearls. The garden’s most glorious aspect was the magnificent view of the bay.

Lucy felt transported into another world.  They were the only two people in the garden.  He took her hands and pulled her close to him, holding her as they swayed to the jazz music which was still audible from the ballroom. 

“It’s beyond beautiful out here, but we’re going to miss the confetti when the clock strikes midnight,” Lucy stated.

“I know.  But we’ll have an unprecedented view of the fireworks on the bay from here,” he explained.

“Ah, my boyfriend.  Ever the romantic,” she answered as she leaned up to kiss him.

They were dancing slowly on the walkway in the garden.  Lucy felt the happiest she had in years.  She knew he had meant well bringing her out here to see the fireworks, but she was starting to get cold.  Initially, she thought he might be cold as well, when she felt his body shake slightly.  This should have been her first clue, because he was never cold.  She drove him crazy at night when she would stick her frozen feet on him.  She knew it had to be close to midnight, because she could see people in the ballroom start to stand and gather in anticipation.

He broke their embrace and stared at her for a moment.  He took a deep breath and gently took her hand in his, then got down on one knee.  He pulled a small black box from the inside pocket of his tuxedo.

“Lucy…..I love you more than life itself.  I don’t ever want to be parted from you.  Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” he asked as he opened the box to reveal the ring.

________________________________________________

Lucy stared back and forth from the ring to his face.  Her mouth was wide open in utter shock.  She was clearly not expecting him to propose so soon.  Her lack of a response made him nervous and he started preparing himself for a rejection. 

“I know we haven’t been together that long and you may think this is too sudden.  We could have a long engagement if that’s what you want,” he stated.

He was still searching her face, trying to figure out what to say next as she still hadn’t responded to his proposal of marriage.  Lucy motioned for him to stand, which he did reluctantly.

“Yes.  Of course I’ll marry you!” Lucy exclaimed as held out her hand for him. 

He slid the ring onto her finger.    

“It’s beautiful.  I love it!  And it fits perfectly too!” she declared as she jumped into his arms.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her like it might be the last time he ever did so.  Fireworks exploded in the sky in the bay.  The stroke of midnight had come and gone and they were beginning the New Year as an engaged couple.  He held her so tightly he was afraid he may hurt her.  He broke the kiss and they just stared fervently into each other’s eyes.  He was so overcome with happiness, love and desire that he crashed into her lips once again, spinning her around in his arms. 

“You have just made me the most ecstatic man on earth.  Sometimes I still can’t believe that a woman like you could ever love someone like me,” he whispered.

“Garcia,” she said as she held his face in her hands, “You are a wonderful, amazing man and you _do_ deserve my love.  Never forget that,” Lucy said as she kissed his lips lightly.

He rested his forehead against hers and took a deep breath.  _This is really, truly happening.  She said yes.  She said yes!_

“Lucy, I’d go to City Hall and marry you tomorrow, but you deserve a proper wedding.  You deserve everything your heart desires,” he whispered as he held her face in his hands.

“I don’t want to waste any more time.  I want to get married as soon as possible, but I do want a _proper_ wedding.  I’m sure we can put something together quickly.  I don’t need a big wedding.  I just need to be your wife,” Lucy answered as she kissed him softly.

His heart swelled.  His wife.  _His_ wife.  He had never longed to hear two words more. 

“Read the inscription on the ring,” he instructed.

Lucy pulled the ring off of her finger and read the inscription, “To L.P. from G.F.  Our love is timeless.”

“When I first met you, I thought you put a spell on me,” he confessed as he blushed slightly.

“Like a witch?” Lucy laughed.

“Like a witch,” he laughed back, “You were all I thought about.  I had a terminal case of Lucy on the brain.  But then I realized it wasn’t a spell that I had been under, it was the feeling you get when you recognize your soulmate,” he professed.

“Love that’s timeless,” Lucy said as she stared into his eyes.

“Love that’s timeless,” he echoed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you might want me to do next. I was thinking maybe something with a little more fluff since this was so angsty, but I want to hear your thoughts so I can give the people what they want!


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